Diaz Plan for Grandbabbies
by Cerebral Anarchy
Summary: Marco's parents want magical royal-blooded grandchildren, and they have a plan to get them. Note: This is not my story. This was written by a talented anon on /co/ Rated M for language and sexual content
1. Chapter 1

"How about a family movie night tonight?!"

Marco didn't think much when his mother stated her plans for the evening. "Okay, sounds good! What movie?"

Marco felt a twinge of suspicion when his father grinned mischievously in response to this. "Oh, the movie is not important. But your mother and I wanted to try out this nice little independent movie theater. They have big comfy seats, and they even let you drink beer in there!"

"Oh...okay, cool. So when should we-"

"Oh, you know, I was thinking of taking the day off early from work. You and Star should just...head to the theater yourselves after school. Your mom and I will meet you there."

Marco narrowed his eyes. Something seemed off, here. Marco's father grinned back at him as innocently as he could while his mom sang a little song under her breath and brewed some coffee.

"Okay," said Marco, deciding they weren't up to anything. "I guess we'll see you guys there." 

* * *

"So what sort of movie are we seeing here, Marco?" Star was fanning herself with her wand. They had just made it to the movie theater, which had been an hour walk away from their school, in the hot sun. Marco was beginning to feel more and more like something was out of place.

"Uh, I dunno. I guess we'll decide when we get there. My parents just wanted to check out the theater, I guess."

The theater itself was very, very small, and didn't seem to do much business. It was, apparently, a renovated older theater, everything done up in a very retro art deco style. There was only one counter where they could purchase tickets and snacks both. He decided to check out what movies were playing.

"There's only ONE screen here," said the bored clerk, a pudgy twenty-something of indeterminate gender with obnoxiously colored hair. "And we're playing 'Rose's Passion.' Next showing in twenty minutes."

"Passion?" said Marco doubtfully. That sounded like a romance movie. "Man, Star, I don't know. Do you like romance movies?"

"Marco," Star said, as serious as Star ever got. "I LOVE passion. C'mon. I'm a very passionate person. ABOUT EVERYTHING."

"Okay-"

"EVERYTHING."

"Yeah, but I don't know if I want to watch this with my PARENTS-"

Just then, Marco's cellphone beeped out his text indicator. It was his father, telling him that he couldn't make it after all. But that he and Star should watch the movie anyway. And then a smily face. And then a winky smily face. And then some japanese-style smily face that communicated an emotion inscrutable to Marco.

"Fine," said Marco wearily. "Two for Rose's Passion, I guess-"

"And a popcorn. Oh my god, Marco, they have a machine that makes it in front of you. You get to watch it pop. GET A LARGE. GET TWO LARGES!" 

* * *

Rose's passion was an independent film of limited release, apparently, with a story that Marco found frankly a little dull. Rose was an American who took a year in Europe before she went to college. She met a guy - Victor - in the UK and spontaneously decided to travel the continent with him. It struck Marco as a little too convenient - who makes that kind of a decision on a whim? Rich people, apparently. The movie was full of a seemingly endless parade of side characters, some of them Rose's friends from the US, one of them her ex, some of them just colorful characters she met on her travels. Marco wasn't exactly opposed to romance, but it struck him as not really that well put together. He mentioned as much to Star, but she was apparently enthralled by the story. He guess that she could kind of relate to Rose and maybe just found it a bit more interesting.

He was drifting off when a sudden gasp startled him awake. "Oh, Victor," Rose was gasping on the screen, squirming on a hotel bed, mostly naked. Then completely naked. Then having sex. Then having more explicit sex than she would have ever had in any mainstream movie.

"Uhhhh," said Marco. "Uh...um. Uh."

"Oh my God," said Star. She was staring intently at the screen, color rising in her cheeks, shoveling popcorn in her mouth. "WOW."

"Uh, you know," said Marco, trying not to sound awkward, "Maybe we should go." Something on the screen squirted, and his ears were filled with a series of loud, satisfied moans from the speakers. "Just uh. Just go. You know? This movie has been kind of boring-"

"Marco are you KIDDING?" said Star, her eyes never leaving the screen. "This is the best scene yet, you don't want to miss THIS! Oh wow, what is he going to do with THAT?!" she exclaimed, as a loud buzzing noise filled the theater.

So Marco sat, and crossed his legs, and tried not to look too much at the screen, or think too much about the blush in Star's cheeks or her quickened breathing. 

* * *

They walked out of the theater in complete silence. It was starting to get dark out. Star was the first to break the silence.

"Wow."

They walked for another minute, and Marco decided to try to keep the conversation going before the silence became unbearable. But there was only one thing he could possibly think to talk about. "Uh, yeah. I didn't, uh...expect the sex scenes to go on so long. Almost a half hour."

"Or to be so intense," said Star.

"Yeah."

"Or so...explicit."

"Yeah. Hahah."

"Or so...unsimulated."

"Ahum. Yeah."

"Or for the couple a few rows in front of us to get so frisky. Or for them to be so loud about it."

"Yeah, Star, a lot of really unexpected things happened, huh? But yeah, the movie was nice. I liked the ending! Hahaha. You know, when Victor died and Rose went back home but she could never get over him? That is ALSO something that happened in the theater."

"Well good thing your parents couldn't make it! Could you imagine how awkward that would have been?"

It was pretty awkward already, Marco thought. "Yeah. That reminds me, I guess I should ask them for a ride?"

"Oh, no, that's not necessary. There's a new spell I've been wanting to try that should get us home quickly. Here, hold on to me."

"What?"

"It's a sort of...rainbow slide teleportation thing, I guess? You have to hold on to me if you want to come with me though."

"Oh. Um, okay." Marco grabbed Star's hand.

"Marco, I've never tried this spell before. You might want to hold on tighter than that. For safety, you know? I mean we'll be flying through the air and everything." There was a strange gleam in Star's eyes that Marco couldn't interpret. She guided Marco's hands around her waist. "There, now hold on tight. Tighter." Marco was hugging Star as tight as he could, intensely aware of just how closely their bodies were pressed together. He could feel each breath rise and fall in her chest. Star's free hand snaked around the small of his back and pushed him even tighter against her. Her voice had dropped its cheerful tone, something serious had snuck into it. "Tighter."

"Uh...Star? I think I'm about as tight as I'm gonna get." Marco grinned, and Star seemed to snap back into reality a bit.

"Uh? Huh? Oh yeah. RAINBOW SLIDE TELEPORTATION!"

There was a lurching sensation, and then the town around them turned into a gray blur as a solid light rainbow appeared beneath them. Although the rainbow rose and fell like a rollercoaster through the sky, while on it it seemed like every direction was down. It was a disorienting, unsettling way to travel, but Star laughed all the way, clinging tight to Marco. 

* * *

"Soooooooo, how was the movie?" asked Marco's father, as they walked grinning through the door of their home.

With the mention of the movie, Marco felt all the weird tension that the wild ride home seemed to have dissolved. "Uh, it was...really interesting, you know?"

"REALLY interesting," Star said, completely shamelessly. "REALLY, REALLY interesting."

"Anyway, I've got some homework to do," said Marco, trying to keep certain scenes out of his mind.

"I guess I do too," said Star. "But I, uh, want to take a shower first. Will you help me with mine after that, Marco?"

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz watched as Star and Marco bounded up the stairs. Mrs. Diaz grabbed Mr. Diaz's arm and delicately laid her head on his shoulder. Mr. Diaz smiled approvingly and sipped at a cup of tea.

"Those magical, royal-blood grandchildren will be ours, dear," he said, when he was sure both the kids were out of earshot.

"Yessssssssssssss," hissed Mrs. Diaz, eyes narrowing. "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS."


	2. Chapter 2

Marco was woken up in the middle of the night by a slight rustling in his bed. He stole a look at the clock - it was 2 AM - before turning over to see Star lying next to him.

"Star, what -" he managed, before she pressed her body against his and kissed him hungrily. He could feel her body heat through the thin nightgown she wore, knew that she had nothing on under it. She confirmed this by guiding his his hand beneath her clothes, to her breasts. Her skin was so smooth, and burning hot.

"Need you," she murmured as she pulled his shirt off and showered his chest with kisses and bites. "Need you, need you..."

"Star, stop, we can't do this - " he gasped, but she was already pulling her nightgown above her head. The outline of her naked body in the moonlight was intoxicating. Marco closed his eyes. This was so wrong, it was so bad to do this with an exchange student living with him, but he could not look at that and protest. He felt her breasts on his chest, and a hot wetness on one of his legs where she was grinding her hips. "This is wrong," he whispered.

And then she was moving down his chest, pulling back his boxers, and then her hot wet mouth was on him, and his hips were bucking -

Marco woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, confused for a few moments before he realized it had just been a dream. An intense dream that had felt very real, but just a dream. He sighed, got up, changed his soiled boxers, and went downstairs for a glass of water.

It wasn't the first time he had had a wet dream. It wasn't even the first time he had had a wet dream about someone staying with them. It was definitely the most intense, though. As he was downstairs, he noticed that Star's spellbook was on the kitchen counter for some reason. Odd, she usually kept it in her room. And he had been helping her with her homework all night before they went to bed. What was it doing down here?

Pondering this, Marco groggily stumbled back to bed. As he walked by Star's room, he heard a small, muffled gasp. He paused, and the gasp was followed by a breathy moan. Marco froze, and a small part of him considered sitting outside her door, listening to her. "I can't be dealing with this," he muttered finally, and went back to bed. 

* * *

Marco chewed thoughtfully on his roast beef sandwich the next day, idly watching Star play with her food while hammering away at her cellphone. That morning, his mother had mentioned something about them going to the beach that weekend, offering to buy Star a swimsuit. Star was currently texting her to hammer out the details of what was being bought. Suddenly, someone slammed their tray down next to him, grabbing his attention. It was Janna.

"Hey Marco," she said with a smirk. "So, my brother said he saw you at the movies the other night."

"Really?" Star interjected. "Because there was only one other couple there at the movie we watched, and they seemed way too busy to be noticing anyone."

Marco blushed, but Janna just laughed. "Yeah, I heard the film you guys saw was pretty...risque."

"Oh, I wouldn't say it was risky. Really sexy though. Practically pornographic," Star replied.

"I know what I would do if I was at a movie like that with someone," Janna said, looking Marco up and down, and Marco suddenly realized that she was trying to determine if anything had happened between him and Star. He also didn't like the hungry look in Janna's eyes. Marco wasn't stupid, but he didn't know if she was jealous of Star, or just hungry for something she could hold over his head, since she did seem to enjoy tormenting people.

Before he could say something to clear up any confusion, Star spoke up again. "Oooh! Oooh! Guys, check out the swimsuits Marco's mom is looking at for me."

"Swimsuits, eh?" Janna said.

"Yeah, we're going to the beach this Saturday." Marco scooched closer to Star to get a look at her phone.

Janna and Marco crowded around as Star swiped her way through some pictures. An orange one-piece swimsuit. An olive green one piece swimsuit. A dark blue one piece swimsuit. Star made little "meh" noises at each one. None of them were particularly eye-catching. But then she swiped one more time and gasped. Janna chuckled and said "Oh, DEFINITELY that one."

It was an extremely skimpy, light blue bikini, with a large pink heart emblazoned on the crotch. It came with a sort of frilly sarong, with bright yellow shooting stars trailing rainbows The whole thing looked like it was held together with floss.

"Oh wow," said Marco. He actually had no objections to seeing Star in that suit, but now he was beginning to suspect his parents were up to something again. His mom had OBVIOUSLY wanted Star to pick the skimpier outfit. Something was up.

"I know, right? Wearing something that skimpy in public? What a rush!" Star leapt up from the table. "I gotta show OSCAR!"

"Okay, I'll see you in class," Marco called after her as she ran off and the bell rang. The lunchroom began emptying as he and Janna gathered up their trays.

"You know, Marco," said Janna, standing up, and her tone of voice made him uncomfortably aware of just how isolated this table was now that the cafeteria was emptying. She had an excited, devious look on her face, and Marco had the sinking feeling he was about to be blackmailed or otherwise tormented in some way. Janna was glancing around, like she was planning something. "Maybe I'll see you guys at the beach."

"Oh? Yeah, that would be nice," Marco offered half-heartedly, but Janna was already speaking over him.

"Yeah, I really got to work on these tan lines," and she lifted up her shirt. She was wearing no bra beneath, and her breasts were pale, almost as pale as Star, the result of an obvious bikini tan. Something about those tan lines made Marco's mouth dry. Janna was staring at him, blush rising in her cheeks, and then she pulled her shirt down and laughed at his reaction. "See you around, Diaz."


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Marco went for a run. It was a cool night, and the stars overhead always helped to clear his mind. He needed to think about two girls in his life.

Star...more than anything, he was troubled by the dream he had had about her. But, eventually, he just concluded that he was a teenage boy, and having sex dreams about a cute girl didn't necessarily mean anything more. He certainly didn't have any inclination to initiate anything with her. Star was a good friend, and besides, she was an exchange student living with him. That would just make things awkward.

Janna, on the other hand...he was pretty sure that Janna just enjoyed tormenting him. Just enjoyed tormenting people in general, in fact, and liked to do things just to get a reaction.

By the time he made his way back to his home, he was feeling much better. Things weren't an emotionally confused tangle. There were simple explanations for everything. His hormones had made him dream about Star, nothing more. She was still just a good friend. Janna was just a mischievous troublemaker who liked watching him squirm. That was all. Granted, things were going to be difficult keeping his hormones in check, but that's all it was, hormones. Marco stepped through his front door.

"Marco!" Star leapt up from the living room couch and gestured towards the television. "Have you been watching your history channel? Do you know what this Hitler guy is up to? He's got alien technology!"

"Hey Star," Marco replied, ignoring the nonsense. He was glad to see her, really. Now that he had thought through things, it seemed like the tension between them had disappeared. He didn't feel as awkward.

"Whoa, you are...REALLY sweaty."

"Yeah, I was running. I probably need a shower. Where are my mom and dad?"

"Oh, your parents said they were going out for dinner or something. Go take a shower, then I want to kick your butt in some video games!"

After his shower, Marco was pleasantly surprised to find that Marco had made him a big glass of lemonade. "I figured you'd be thirsty after that run. Now let's play!" she said, shoving a controller into his hands.

They spent the next few hours laughing, joking together, playing video games. When Marco's parents called and said they'd be home late, they rented a horror movie. It wasn't a very good one, and they spent most of their time laughing at that one too. They kept ordering more crappy horror movies after that one, staying up late into the night.

Eventually Marco woke during the credits of one movie. Star was curled up against him, using his shoulder as a pillow. Gently, he tried to wake her, but she just muttered in her sleep and lashed out with a balled fist. Marco fell back and Star slumped forward, sleeping peacefully against his chest. "Oh, fine," he said, drifting back to sleep. 

* * *

Later that night, at about two in the morning, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz came home to find Marco and Star curled up against each other, sleeping peacefully.

"Look at that," whispered Mrs. Diaz. "So cute." She delicately moved one of Marco's hands until it was on Star's butt, and gently prodded Star's head until she nuzzled into Marco's neck. "There we go. Perfect."

"Careful, honey," said Mr. Diaz. "I mean, we know that Marco WANTS Star."

"And she wants him too," scolded Mrs. Diaz. "What girl wouldn't want my handsome boy?"

"Yes, yes. But that's not LOVE. Remember, we don't want a teenage fling. We want royal magic grandchildren."

"Look at them though. Of course they love each other! Oh, doesn't it remind you of us?"

"Well...no. I seem to remember that my seduction of you was much more...aggressive."

"This is true," admitted Mrs. Diaz. "You were such a devil."

"Oh, I still am." Mr. Diaz swept Mrs. Diaz up into his arms and walked her to their bedroom. "In fact, I'm feeling a bit devilish right now."

They made love as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake up the kids in the other room. Afterwards, they lay in the dark, naked and sweating, Mrs. Diaz slowly playing with Mr. Diaz's chest hair. "So how do we make sure they fall in love?" she murmured.

"Oh, don't worry. I have a few tricks," whispered , patting a thick book on the nightstand.

Star's spellbook.


	4. Chapter 4

It was hard not to stare at Star in her bathing suit.

It wasn't even that it was revealing, although that was definitely part of it. But she seemed less sexual than gorgeous. She had her hair up, and her wings covered the straps of the bikini, making her look almost topless from behind, and something about her bare back almost took his breath away. The sarong shimmered around her hips, translucent, casting her thighs in shadow. Marco realized with a start that despite trying, he was staring at her again, and quickly looked away. But he looked back when he noticed Star was staring at him as well, and pretty intensely. Suddenly she seemed to snap out of it and smiled.

"Wow, Marco, you look pretty good. Those runs and all that karate are doing you a lot of favors," she said, squeezing the muscles on his arm.

Marco laughed nervously. It's just your stupid hormones, he thought to himself. This is Star, your friend, and it's just your stupid hormones making you nervous. "Thanks Star. You look pretty good yourself." Star laughed in response, and Marco wasn't sure if he was just imagining the blush in her cheeks.

Mr. Diaz was setting out a blanket while Mrs. Diaz pitched an umbrella. Marco knew his dad was more of a fan of building sand sculptures than anything else while at the beach, and his mom would probably be reading, but he really wanted to swim. The ocean was beautifully clear.

"Hey Marco, can you help me put sunscreen on my back?"

Marco glanced back at Star. She was lying on her stomach on a towel, looking over her shoulder at him. Of course she would need sunscreen, she was so pale that she'd probably burn to a crisp if she didn't have it. "Oh, sure," he said, casually.

Okay, he thought, just do this as quick as possible, and don't think too hard about what you're doing. Don't let your hormones control you. He took a bottle of suntan lotion and squirted some onto his hands.

And the moment he touched Star, she jumped a bit under his touch, and then relaxed and said "Ooooooh, that feels goooooooooooood."

Fuck, thought Marco.

Marco rubbed the sunscreen on as quick as possible, trying to ignore how smooth and cool Star's skin was, or how she occasionally let out little "Mmmm" sounds. Then he lifted up one of her wings to get beneath, and she gasped and shivered.

"Uh, Star? Are you okay?"

"Yes," Star squeaked, "I guess my wings are just really sensitive-"

"Oh, should I stop?" Marco said, letting go of the wing.

"NO!" Star shivered again, then let out a long sigh. "No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it. Go ah-AAAAAH!" Marco had picked up her wing again. She clapped her hands over her mouth. Marco looked back at his parents, but his father was busy building a sand castle and his mother was obliviously reading a book.

"I guess I know one of your weak spots now," he said, to try to relieve the tension, but it didn't seem to work much. Instead he just applied the sunscreen as quickly as possible while Star squirmed and made muffled sounds into her hands. She was especially sensitive around the base of her wings, and when he touched her there she let out a tiny muffled scream. When he finally finished she got to her feet, face bright red and legs shaking.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah...it was just really, uh, ticklish." She took a deep breath and her legs stopped shaking a bit. "So...let's go swimming! I really need to cool off." 

* * *

"Haha, did you see that?" Mrs. Diaz whispered to her husband as Marco and Star walked off.

"Yes, darling. But like I said, we already know they LUST after each other. We need LOVE."

"Well, lust is pretty much halfway there," said Mrs. Diaz, running her hand playfully across her husband's chest.

Mr. Diaz just smiled at her and took out Star's spellbook. "Let's see what we have in here that might help us," he said, opening it.

Glossaryck stared out from the pages at him, balefully. "This book is for Princess Star Butterfly only. And unless I'm remembering incorrectly, Princess Star Butterfly is not a large, hairy man. Goodbye!" And the book slammed shut.

Mr. Diaz frowned and pried open the book again. Glossaryck flew out and into his face almost immediately. "Listen, buddy. I'm not joking when I say...wait." Glossaryck's eyes widened. "YOU'RE-"

Mr. Diaz caught Glossaryck before he could say anything and shoved him in the back of the book, trapping him there with the bulk of the book's pages. "You and I will have a talk later, my friend." Mr. Diaz began flipping through the pages, while Mrs. Diaz looked over his shoulder, until he said "Oh, THAT looks interesting." 

* * *

Marco and Star had swum out pretty far, and had sort of lost track of where they were while joking around and splashing each other. Then Star had noticed some tidepools behind some rocks, and Marco couldn't prevent her from staring, fascinated, at all the tiny life trapped within. They were staring deep into a pool, watching a starfish slowly approach a crab that seemed more annoyed than anything, when a sudden "HEY MARCO," made him slip backwards into the water.

"Smooth," said Janna, standing almost directly above him. She was wearing a green bikini that had camouflage patterns worked into it.

"Hey Janna! How did you find us out here?" Star said as she helped Marco up.

"Oh, I've been watching you guys. For a while. How are YOU doing?" Janna said, clapping her hand on Star's back, deliberately (or so it seemed to Marco) brushing her hand across one of Star's wings. Star stiffened, clenched her hands at her side, and sank into the water.

"That's...sort of creepy." Marco offered a hand to Star but she refused with a squeak, apparently preferring to stay crouched in the water for now. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd come by to say hi. You know, people might get ideas if you're just out here alone together. Of course, they might get even wilder ideas if I'm out here with you too." Janna looked him up and down appreciatively, then stammered out "M-maybe I had some wild ideas," and all of a sudden Marco realized that despite all her bravado and flirting that she was intensely nervous, which put him at ease. He gave her a knowing smile and Janna just frowned and looked away, frustrated that she had lost control of the situation and dropped her facade. "Hey," she said, suddenly changing the subject, "Did you know that your parents have Star's spellbook? Mr. Diaz was reading from it."

"What? They do?"

"Oh yeah," said Star, leaping out from the water. "I gave it to them! Mr. Diaz said he wanted to look at it. Called it 'folk art' or something like that."

"Star!" Marco slapped his head. "Do you know what sort of trouble they could get into with that?"

"Marco, rellllaaaaaax. They can't do anything with the spellbook without the wand."

From the beach, in the direction they had come, there was a giant pink flash of light.

"Or...at least I think so."

There was another giant pink flash of light, and the sound of screaming.

"And anyway, Glossaryck should stop the-"

Several pink explosions, and more screaming. Marco, Janna and Star began running back towards the beach.


	5. Chapter 5

When Janna, Star and Marco arrived back on the beach, it was chaos. Several monsters were attacking people. Marco watched in horror as a wolfman as dark as shadow snatched up a young woman. The next thing he knew, the ground was belching up searing rainbow light all around the monster. Marco ran to help up the woman, but she just cried "Please don't hurt him! That's my boyfriend, he just...changed into that thing!"

"Star, don't kill it!" he shouted.

"Awww." Star lowered her wand. "But I mean, I have to do SOMETHING."

"I don't understand how my parents could have done this. Don't you have to have the wand to make any of the spells in your book work?"

"Well...no, not technically," Janna piped up.

"Janna? How would you know?" Marco ducked another blast of rainbow magic as the wolfman leapt at them.

She rolled her eyes. "You should talk to Glossaryck more. You know, the little guy that lives in the spell book. He's pretty sweet when you get to know him."

Marco pried a frothing wolfman off of Star to punch it in the face. Star leapt up to kick it in the sides while it was down. "If I'm going to fix this, you know, without killing them, I'm going to need my spellbook." 

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz hid in the shower building from the chaos on the beach.

"Okay, so, obviously I need more time with the spellbook," said Mr. Diaz sheepishly.

"Well, once they find out what you've done, I think you're probably going to have a hard time convincing Star to let you borrow it again."

"I know, I know! That's why we need someone to take the fall for this." Mr. Diaz peered out the window onto the beach, and then smiled. "Oh, perfect." 

* * *

Ludo stepped though a portal onto the beach, flanked by Lobster Claws and Buff Frog. "Sometimes, you know, it's just good to relax at the beach-" he was saying, when Mr. Diaz ran up to him and dropped Star's spellbook into the sand. There was a small pause, and then Ludo said "what-"

"Oh, son! Help us! This small ugly goblin you guys are always fighting has stolen Star's spellbook and caused all of this!" Mrs. Diaz shouted down the beach at the distant figures of Janna and Marco. They turned and began sprinting toward her voice as fast as possible.

"What," said Ludo.

"Don't worry son!" shouted Mr. Diaz, "I've caught up to the little freak and I'll get the spellbook back!"

"What?!" said Ludo, before Mr. Diaz punched him in the gut and grabbed the spellbook back.

"Oh my god, Boss, are you okay?!" Lobster Claws shouted, before Marco kicked him backwards into the portal. "OW! GOD, IT HURTS!"

"Man, Lobster Claws. I can't believe I used to think you were cool." Marco shook his head in sad disappointment as Janna and Mrs. Diaz shouldered Buff Frog back inside the portal.

Mr. Diaz lifted Ludo above his head. "This is for stealing the spellbook and being one hundred percent responsible for all of this!" he shouted, throwing Ludo back into the portal.

As it closed, Ludo could be faintly heard shouting "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"

Janna pried open the spellbook as Marco turned to his parents. "Are you guys okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Oh, son. It was a terrible affair. And one easily forgotten and never examined closely," said, as Mrs. Diaz buried her face in his shoulder.

Glossaryck floated up above the book. "Oh, hello, Janna," he said with a smile. "Marco," much less enthusiastically, and with a nod. Then he saw Mr. Diaz standing behind him, and began sweating. "Hello, sir."

Marco fell to his knees next to Janna. "You have to tell us what spell to change all these people back!"

"Oh, I HAVE to, do I?"

"Please?" said Janna, unwrapping a starburst and giving it to him.

"THANK you, Janna." Glossaryck bit off an edge of the starburst and talked through a full mouth. "Anyway. The spell used was one that was intended to reveal people's inner desires - how they TRULY thought of themselves. It just turns out that some people have darker ideas of what lies within than others. If you didn't know Ancient Elvish very well, you might misinterpret it as being a love spell of some sort."

"A love spell? But why would Ludo want to cast a love spell?" said Marco.

"Why indeed?" muttered Glossaryck, before he noticed Mr. Diaz narrowing his eyes at him. "Uh, anyway, spell you need to undo it is on page forty three. Bye!" And with that, he slipped between the pages and disappeared.

Just then, an explosion rocked the beach from where Star had been fighting the monsters. "STAR! We have to get this to her!" Marco grabbed the spellbook and took off down the beach.

* * *

Star was pinned against the rocks by a monster that was like a cancer on reality. It was difficult to look at, difficult to imagine, a constantly shifting pillar of black smoke, limbs, and jagged fanged mouths. The chittering noise it made was enough to drive someone mad. Star shot a blast of rainbow light at it, but it simply opened one of its many maws and devoured it. As it bore down on her, from somewhere within the smoky depths a single, humongous eye opened to look down upon her, and Princess Star Butterfly knew the fear of death.

"STAR!" screamed Marco, throwing himself between her and the beast, holding open the spellbook for her to read. "Here's the spell to undo it! READ IT!"

"Oh Marco," Star whispered, transfixed by the eye. "There is no undoing this. Hope is dead, and this is the end of all things."

"STAR!"

Star shook out of it, and grabbed the book. "Your true face is neat but we didn't ask, please hide it again behind the mask!" she intoned, pointing the wand at the awful beast.

A nightmare howl, loud enough to tear the sky in two. A bright flash of pink light. And then the smoke faded, melted away. Reality healed itself of wound tore in it by the monster's presence. And in its place was Ferguson.

"Oh, hey guys," he said to an astonished Star and Marco.

Star gaped, while Marco gave him a deeply troubled look. They had no time to talk, though. They quickly ran down the beach to transform the other monsters back.

And as they left, Ferguson watched them.

Waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

After the monsters had been transformed back, the beach had emptied pretty quickly. A monster attack would do that, Marco supposed. It left his family, Janna and Star on a mostly empty beach. Ferguson was there too, but he was off in the distance, staring out into the ocean in a way that Marco would never again think of as benign or harmless. It had been exhausting work. Marco and Star were both panting and drenched in sweat when it was finished.

"Oh, you two were amazing!" said Mrs. Diaz, when the two finally stumbled their way back. "You work so WELL together-"

"Uh, Marco? You're bleeding." Janna's eyes widened.

"Huh? What? Where?" Marco stretched around, not seeing any blood. And suddenly the pain hit him. It was a searing wound his back. With all the running around, he wasn't even sure where it came from. Most likely it had been right from the beginning, when, veins filled with adrenaline, he had jumped in front of the Ferguson abomination. He hadn't felt the pain until now.

"What? Let me take a look at this," Mr. Diaz said, practically shoving Janna out of the way. When he saw the wound, he seemed relieved. "Oh, Marco. It isn't that bad. It will leave you a nice scar! Women love scars." Mrs. Diaz looked extremely upset for a moment or two, then she shrugged. "It's true. I do at least."

"Yeah, scars are pretty cool!" said Star. "But still, we should...try to find a way to stop the bleeding? Maybe?"

"Oh! One minute." Janna ran off, and returned with a towel. She wrapped it around Marco's torso, tying it off with surprising expertise, as a sort of makeshift bandage. "My dad taught me how to do this," she confessed. As she tied it off, she took the opportunity to lean in close to Marco's ear. "Come see me later if you want something to help you heal," she whispered with a wink.

"You know, now that this is all over, maybe we should go home?" Star looked around the beach, forlorn. "I mean, what with Marco bleeding and all..."

"No way!" said Marco. "I mean, it's not that bad. Plus, look, the beach is completely empty now. That's awesome, we have the whole place to ourselves. Besides, it's not that bad. Give me a bit and I'll be fine." To be honest, he wouldn't have minded going home at this point, but he could tell Star really liked the beach. Star gave him an odd look, one that he couldn't interpret, with a small smile.

"Okay," she relented. "But the spellbook..."

"Oh, don't worry," said Mr. Diaz. "That little goblin caught me by surprise. Next time, I'll CRUSH HIM."

"You know...maybe we should try keeping it somewhere safe if Ludo is after it?" Marco suggested.

"Yeah...but Ludo can teleport in pretty much anywhere. Honestly, I don't know where we could put it where it would be safe. It's not like I can lug it around like I do with my wand. I don't think Ludo will come back for it today. And besides, your dad seems like he can handle Ludo pretty well!" Star smiled and made appreciative "ooooh" sounds as Mr. Diaz flexed.

"I'll take it," offered Janna.

"No, you won't," Marco said flatly. In the end, he relented and agreed to keep the book with his parents. 

* * *

As the kids ran off to take advantage of the empty beach, Mrs. Diaz smacked Mr. Diaz on the butt. "Look at that! Our boy is bleeding because of what you did."

"Oh, honey. It's not so bad." Mr. Diaz did look shamefully guilty. "I guess I was a bit overconfident."

"That Janna girl is trouble. She has the hots for Marco too."

"Are you sure?"

Mrs. Diaz snorted. "Oh no. She was just using every excuse she had to wrap her arms around him and whisper in his ear while she thought we weren't looking. Yes, I'm sure."

Mr. Diaz smiled. "Well, would you look at that. My son, the ladies man!"

"I don't like her. I like STAR. Star is such a nice girl. That Janna is trouble."

"I seem to recall your parents said something very similar about me when we were young," replied Mr. Diaz blithely. "You better keep quiet about that, or you'll drive Marco right into her arms, just like your parents did with me."

Mrs. Diaz looked annoyed for a moment, then she smiled and stood on her tiptoes to deliver a kiss to her husband. "Promise you won't try anything else until you have a better handle on that spellbook," she whispered, arms wrapped around him.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll figure it out eventually." 

* * *

Marco and Star spent the day wandering around the beach, just talking and laughing. Janna had hung out with them for a bit but disappeared after a while. They ransacked some ice cream from an overturned ice-cream cart left behind in the monster attack. Star became infuriated at some seagulls, which apparently didn't exist in Mewni, when they constantly followed her, cawing obnoxiously, waiting for food.

At the end of the day, they sat together on a towel, watching the sun set over the water. "Man, that is amazing," said Marco, referring to the red light reflecting off the water.

"YOU'RE AMAZING," blurted out Star suddenly, knocking the breath out of Marco as she grabbed him with a crushing hug.

"Huh? Star? Wha-"

"Marco! You jumped right in front of that...Ferguson thing. It could have killed you! In fact, I'm pretty sure killing is the least of what it could have done to you. You jumped in like you didn't even care!"

Marco shuddered at the memory. "Yeah, well, I wasn't just going to abandon you to it-"

"And then this day has just been so much fun. And I know you wanted to leave, earlier. But you said you didn't because you knew I wanted to stay. Don't deny it. I'm in your head, Marco."

"Well...I ended up having fun anyway," Marco said bashfully.

Star sighed, still hugging him. "Marco, why are you so good to me?"

"You're my friend, Star. My best friend. When you're happy, I'm happy."

Star looked up at him with shining eyes. "Awwwwwwww. Marco!"

"Okay," he said jokingly, "You can let go now."

"I don't want to. It's getting chilly, and you're warm." Star rested her head on his shoulder, and Marco couldn't remember ever feeling so content. Together they watched the sun go down. 

* * *

When it was dusk, they returned to Marco's parents to get ready to leave. Marco went into the beach showers to rinse the sand off of himself. When he was done, he walked out into the locker room, drying himself with a towel, when he was suddenly pulled aside. It was Janna.

"Janna?!" he yelped. "This is the MEN'S locker room."

Janna rolled her eyes. "It's not like anyone else is here." She looked him up and down, then pressed her body against his and whispered in his ear. "You never came to see me to help you heal."

"Wh-" said Marco, but before he could say anything else, Janna's hands were in his hair, pulling down his head, and her lips were on his, her tongue in his mouth. He pushed her away. "Janna!"

"Shut up," she said, and kissed him again, hard. Her breasts were on his chest, and he could feel her heartbeat, quick and excited behind them. He gave into the kiss, despite himself. "Oh, Diaz," she breathed, her hands trailing down his chest to his butt, which she then playfully squeezed while Marco yelped. "Well, one of us has to be doing the groping, since you're apparently too timid to be grabbing MY ass."

"Janna, stop," Marco said, seriously. In response she just kissed him once again, pushing him against the lockers, this time hooking one of her legs behind his, making him uncomfortably aware of the heat in her crotch as she pressed it against his leg.

"That's for being so brave today," she said when she was done. "It will help you heal." And then a nasty snicker. Marco brushed her aside and began walking away, and she slapped him on his back, right on his cut. "And that's for not coming to see me earlier!" she laughed as he winced.


	7. Chapter 7

The next week passed quickly for Marco. School was picking up and keeping him and Star busy. And after her little outburst at the beach, Janna seemed almost to be avoiding him. Which, honestly, Marco appreciated. He wasn't sure how to feel about their encounter in the locker room, and he felt like things could have easily gone a lot further. Every once in a while, his mind danced with images of what could have happened there if he had been a bit more forward. What would Janna have done if he had slid his hands into her bikini? How far would things have gone? Would he have been able to control himself? What would he have done if JANNA was a bit more forward? What if she had slid her hands into his pants? It was difficult not to daydream about this, but luckily school kept his mind off it for the most part.

Star, despite the application of sunscreen, had become pretty badly sunburned. She was absolutely miserable, too. She winced every step she took, and Marco took to carrying her backpack so it didn't dig into her burned shoulders. She was only comfortable wearing baggy clothes that didn't grate as much on her skin.

Friday night, Marco was in Star's room. They were working together on a history project, but Star's sunburn was really irritating her. It had been a hot week, and Marco had a suspicion it was only getting worse with more exposure to the sun. Every time she moved her arm to write something she winced. Finally she got up and said "AHHH, I can't TAKE IT anymore!" and flung off her shirt. She was only wearing a sports bra beneath.

"Star?! What?!" Marco hid his face behind his book.

"Marco, it's fine. I mean, come on, you saw way more at the beach." Star smiled as he uneasily lowered the book. "But now you should put it back up again, because I'm getting naked."

Marco yelped and hid his face behind the book again, but not before he saw Star yanking down the shorts she was wearing. True, he had seen more at the beach, but something about that act was still way sexier than seeing her in a bikini. "Star, why are you getting naked?!" he asked.

"These stupid - OW! - clothes keep rubbing on my sunburn. OW! Even my HAIR hurts it. Ahhhh. Okay, you can look."

Marco dropped the book. Star was completely wrapped up in one of the silk sheets from her bed, her face poking out. "This feels much better! Okay, now let's do this project."

Marco sighed and dropped the book he was holding. "Star, this is ridiculous. You can't go everywhere naked."

Star narrowed her eyes. "Or...CAN I...?"

"NO. I'm going to go see if my parents have something for you to treat sunburn with."

Marco walked downstairs, where his mother was preparing something in the kitchen. His father was off in his study. He had been spending a lot of time in his study lately, actually. "Hey mom, do we have any like, aloe vera lotion or something? Star's sunburn is getting really bad."

Mrs. Diaz nodded idly, absent-mindedly cutting up a cucumber into slices. "Yes, in the bathroom, you can-" then, she stopped short, and gave a tiny smile. "Actually! I have a little home remedy for sunburn. Hold on and I'll whip some up."

Marco waited patiently as his mom mashed up an avocado, water, baking soda and some mint leaves in a small bowl. Then she went to his dad's study for a "secret ingredient," and mixed a few drops of it into the paste. The result was a very smooth looking green gel. "Here," she said. "This will have her feeling better much quicker than anything from a store. Oh, and by the way, your father and I will be going shopping, and we won't be back for a few hours."

As Marco made his way upstairs, he heard his parents peeling out of the driveway. Knocking on Star's door, she answered, clutching the sheet in front of her. "Here!" he said, presenting the bowl to her.

Star stared at it for a few moments. "So, uh. What do I do with this? Do I eat it?"

"No, no. You rub it into your sunburn." As he said it, Marco realized what would have to happen next, and began sweating immediately.

"Oh! Can you help me then? My sunburn is in all these places I can't reach."

"S-sure..."

"Okay, hold on. Close your eyes." Marco closed them and heard a flumph sound, knew that Star had dropped the sheet at her feet. He tried not to think about her moving around naked mere feet from him. "Okay, open them!"

Star was lying facedown on the bed, naked except for a towel draped over her bum. Marco gulped, but then noticed that her sunburn was actually really, really bad. She turned her head over and smiled at him. Okay, he told himself, she just needs your help. He didn't feel as nervous as he did at the beach, despite the fact that now she was naked.

He began rubbing the lotion into her back. She jumped a little when he first applied it. "Oh! That's really cool. And tingly!"

"Yeah, my mom made it. I'm not sure what she put in it, actually." As he looked at it, it almost seemed like the paste was glowing. It WAS tingly, too, he could feel it on his hands. Then, on some wild impulse, he rubbed some onto one of Star's wings.

She gasped, and her head shot up, almost revealing her breasts. She shivered, and then she laughed. "That actually feels realllllly good."

"Well, I'm done with your back. You can probably reach the rest yourself," said Marco. But somehow, he knew what her response would be, and was happy that it was what it was.

"Nooooo! You can do the rest, too," she said, wiggling her badly burnt shoulders. As he began rubbing the paste into her shoulders, she sighed contentedly, and then idly remarked, "You know, I think Janna likes you."

"Oh yeah, I think she likes me too." Marco laughed. It would actually be nice to talk about this with someone. "You know, she flashed me last week."

"Flashed you?"

"Oh, uh - you know. Lifted up her shirt and showed me her. Um. Chest." Marco stumbled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. And then at the beach, she actually cornered me when we were leaving and kissed me." Why did he tell her that? It was nice to talk about it with someone, but it wasn't really something he had wanted to tell Star. It felt like his inhibitions were crumbling.

Star stiffened beneath him as she heard this. "She kissed you? At the beach?" Her voice was low, quiet. "Wow, how...forward...of her."

Marco laughed nervously, and then Star flipped over beneath him, revealing small breasts with light pink nipples. Strawberry milk, Marco thought absurdly. The towel around her waist had come askew, barely covering the area between her legs. Marco could see one naked hip. "Star!" he said, sounding strangled.

"My chest is sunburnt!" she said, innocently. "You have to rub it there too." It was true. Her chest was pretty burnt. Marco began rubbing, trying to avoid staring at her breasts. "Are they nicer than Janna's?" Star said, suddenly.

"What?"

"My boobs." She laughed. "Marco, I know you're looking, it's fine. I like looking at you too."

"They're...very nice," Marco stammered. Then he dropped his hands to his sides. "Star, you're my friend. I don't want things to be weird between us." Things were going too far. His head was getting cloudy. He was filled with all sorts of urges that he felt desperately that he needed to control.

Star got up on her knees, so she was face to face with Marco. She took his head in her hands and squeezed his cheeks. "Marco! No matter what happens, I'll always be your friend. Don't worry so much! I will always, always be on your side."

With her bright blue eyes shining directly at him, Marco felt all his worried melt away. They would always be friends, after all. So what if they did a bit more than most friends did? They were already closer than any other friends Marco could think of. "I'll always be on your side too, Star," he said, running his hands around her shoulders. He tried to guide her back to laying down, but Star just grabbed his shirt and pulled him so close their faces were touching.

"Was Janna your first kiss?" She whispered. He could feel her breath on his lips.

"Yes."

And then Star was kissing him and he couldn't think of anything but how sweet her lips seemed to taste, and wasn't that stupid? Lips don't taste sweet, and he could feel her naked breasts pressed against him and could feel her heart hammering behind them as she clung to him, and he was clinging to her as well, and she was kissing him almost frantically and he lost all sense of time and space.

When she finally pulled back, she smiled and said "Well, lucky Janna! You're a natural kisser. I bet-"

Marco silenced her with a kiss this time. A quick, short one, but still a kiss. "Yep, natural kisser," she whispered when he was done. Her face was flushed. "I...should get dressed." Marco let her go and she bounded out of the bed, not bothering to cover up. He saw a flash of her bum before her hair fell into place to cover it up. With her back to him, she began sliding on her underwear and shorts. She was shaking badly, and suddenly he realized she must have been very, very nervous. He got up silently and walked towards her door. He had fucked up. Things were weird. He had fucked things up with his best friend in the whole world because he couldn't control himself.

"Marco, where are you going?" Star said, before he could leave her room. Marco turned around to see a fully dressed Star smiling at him like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "We still have to do this history project, remember?" She must have seen the lingering hurt in his eyes, because she ran across the room and hugged him tightly. "I told you, I'm always on your side."

Marco smiled, his worries dissolving as she led him by the hand back into her room.


	8. Chapter 8

Looking back, Marco would feel like he should have seen all this coming. After he had left Star's room after the kiss, he was terrified that things would have become weird between them. But to his great relief, they hadn't. In fact, it was becoming harder and harder for him to imagine what it would be like for there to be any discomfort between himself and Star. He felt like he fit in so naturally with her. Which is why he should have known she was going to be taken away.

It all began when Star finally got her spellbook back from Marco's father. She had wanted to see if there was a spell to help her sunburn heal, since it was still bothering her a few days after Marco had given her the lotion. Mr. Diaz had seemed oddly reluctant at first, but finally relented. "The little man who lives in that book, you know, he has such an odd sense of humor."

"You mean Glossaryck?" Star tilted her head to the side. "He's been a friend of my parent's for a while. He is a little weird."

"Oh. Your parents know him?" Mr. Diaz seemed a little nervous. "Well, here's your book."

The minute Star and Marco had her spellbook back in her room, it practically tore itself open. Glossaryck came rocketing out. He seemed paler than the last time Marco had seen him. "PRINCESS," he said, upon seeing Star. "Oh, thank god, you're safe."

"Of course I'm safe. Why wouldn't I be safe? What's wrong?"

"You're not safe because..." but Glossaryck doubled over in pain, unable to continue.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Marco asked, reaching out for the small wizard.

"GET AWAY FROM ME," screeched Glossaryck. "Princess, you are NOT safe here, th-" and here, Glossaryck began puking up snakes.

"Oh my GOD," said Marco, as Star recoiled in horror.

"Ugh...Princess..." Glossaryck coughed, one last snake dangling from his mouth. "Okay, listen. Check the...STUDYHRRRRRK," A fresh wave of snakes poured from his mouth.

"The study? My dad's study? Why, what's in there?" Marco narrowed his eyes at the small creature. He wasn't exactly known for being trustworthy. "Only his art stuff should be in there."

"JUST LOOK," Glossaryck was doubled over in the fetal position, clutching his stomach. "And Princess! Keep your wand by you at ALL TIMES!"

"Well, I always do. I mean half the time it's in my mouth."

"JUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL! OH GOD, IT BURNS!"

Star gave Marco a look of concern as the little wizard closed the spellbook around himself again. "I've never really seen him like this."

"What do you think could be in my dad's study? Do you think Ludo teleported in there to try to get the spellbook again?"

Star raised her wand grimly. "Well, there's only one way to find out." 

* * *

Marco stalked his way down the hallway to his father's study, Star close behind him. He had thought about getting his father, who was out mowing the lawn, but then decided against it, not wanting to involve him in whatever danger was behind the closed doors. The hallway seemed darker, longer than it usually was. The doors to the study were these huge dark wooden doors, with all sorts of weird things carved into them - skeletons and gargoyles and such. Marco remembered that his dad had been delighted when he got these doors, calling them a masterpiece. Right now, they seemed more sinister than ever. They opened with a long, loud creak.

There was nothing in the study. Just his father's desk, which was similar to the doors - dark wood and odd carvings, the legs four clawed feet. On one corner lay an intricately detailed painted skull. Strangely enough, there was no sign of a painting or a sculpture in progress. Marco's father had been locked away in the study for a while, and that usually meant he had a new art project underway. But there was no sign of anything like this.

Star pushed past him. "What is it...whoa, this is your dad's study?" Star gaped at the painted skull, and at the odd collection of paintings on the wall. They demonstrated his father's eclectic taste in art, from realistic paintings of nude women drape over couches, to abstract tangles of bright geometry, to grotesque portrayals of one of the Greek Titans eating his young, a painting that had always given Marco the creeps.

"Yeah. I usually don't come in here. This is where he comes to get 'inspiration,' whatever that means." Star was still busy gaping at the paintings. "Star! There could still be danger in here." He crossed the room and threw open the closet door, ready for anything to jump out at him. But there was nothing. Just some blank easels, a lump of clay, some paint...and hanging up was a weird looking cape or cloak. It was a bright array of faded colors, yellow, green, blue, purple, red, orange, almost looking as if it had been covered in waterpaints that bled into each other. But on the inside, it was a solid, pitch black. "I've never seen THIS before. Did my dad make this...?"

"Marco, check this out!" Marco turned around, and Star was going through his father's desk drawers.

"Star! Don't just go through my dad's stuff."

"Marco..." Star held up a sheaf of papers. "Your dad...it looks like he's been copying down my spellbook."

"Whaaaaaaaaat?" Marco peered over her shoulder. It definitely did look like his father had been painstakingly recreating every page in Star's spellbook. "But...why would he do that? For some sort of art project, maybe?"

"Maybe?" Star said doubtfully, clearly confused. "But what was in here that Glossaryck was so upset about? What had him puking snakes?"

"Maybe it left already?"

Star put the copied spellbook papers aside and reached into the drawer again. "There was something else in here..." what she bought out was a strange carving, but one that Marco had seen his father toying around with before. it was a pair of snakes curling around each other, painted in bright patterns. Both of their mouths joined around a green glass sphere.

"Oh yeah, I've seen that before. I'm not sure where my dad got that. He loves getting this sort of crap from all over the world."

"Marco," Star whispered. "This is a WAND."

"What? No, it can't be. My dad's had that for years-" Marco stopped when the green glass sphere began letting out an eerie light. Star was giving him a deeply troubled look. "He...must not have known it was a wand." Marco shrugged. "He likes collecting knicknacks and stuff from all over. I don't know where he got his hands on it."

Star gave him a hard look, and Marco realized with shock that she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. But finally she gave a nod. "Marco...I think your dad might be messing around with magic."

"That's crazy. My dad wouldn't-"

"Because there's also a black candle in here." Star slapped it down on the desk.

"Okay, but-"

"And like, a tiny cauldron."

"Alright-"

"And this rack of vials clearly labeled 'magic potions.'"

Marco stared down at this latest item on the desk. It was a rack of five or so vials. One was labeled "Fire salts," another, "Vanishing powder", another "Love potion-doesn't work?"

"And also, this sacrificial dagger-"

"Okay, okay," Marco said. "Maybe my dad is screwing around with magic." He sat down in the desk's chair. This was a side of his father that he couldn't imagine. Maybe seeing Star's magic had piqued his interest? Was it just a coincidence that the sculpture he had had for years was a wand? "Do...do you think that this is what Glossaryck is worried about? Do...you think he did the snake puking thing to Glossaryck?"

Suddenly, Star's hand was wrapped around his, giving him a tiny squeeze. He looked up to see Star smiling down at him. "I don't know what's going on," she said, "But I don't think your dad did that. Glossaryck's a pretty experienced wizard. You'd have to be pretty good to put any sort of curse on him."

"What do you think we should do?"

Star was about to answer, but then the door to the study began creaking open. Marco realized suddenly that he couldn't hear the lawnmower running anymore. He felt the blood freeze in his veins. But why?

After all, it was just his father in the shadows behind the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Marco contemplated hiding before his father opened the door, but there was simply no time. There was stuff all over the desk, and simply no place for him and Star to hide. His father's frame filled the doorway, silhouetted in shadow, and Marco had time to think about just how big of a man his father was before they were spotted.

"Oh, hello, Marco." Were his eyes glowing? That was stupid, it had to be the sun reflecting off of them, didn't it? Oh god, it was just the sun, right? "Star." 's eyes darted to the items cluttered across his desk, and the doors slammed shut behind him as if from an invisible wind.

"H-h-hey dad," stammered Marco.

"I see you've been going through my desk," said Mr. Diaz, quietly. The room temperature seemed to drop forty degrees, suddenly. Marco could have sworn he saw his breath fogging in front of him.

"Mr. Diaz," said Star, confidently, "I saw that you were copying my spellbook. I know that you've been messing around with magic. It's not a big deal! I could even ask my parents for some court wizards or something to teach you. But you should know that magic isn't something you can just mess with! Well...that's what my mom says. I mess with it all the time. But...still...uh... ?"

Despite the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day, and there was a huge window open behind Marco and Star, the light in the room seemed to drop drastically, become sickly, yellow. As Mr. Diaz approached the desk, it seemed as if the shadows clung to him, keeping him wrapped in darkness. As he got closer, what began as a dull howl in the distance got louder and louder, until the whole room was filled with the unearthly moan.

Marco was shaking badly, but he managed to step in front of Star. The shadow in the shape of his father paused, seeming to contemplate him. "D-d-dad," he stammered, "I was the one who went through your desk. I was...looking for something. I'm sorry." Marco's breath caught in his throat. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and he was drenched in a cold sweat. His fathers eyes were now twin gold beacons, vortexes of swirling, orange-yellow light.

"Marco," Star whispered from behind him, voice quavering with fear, "What's happening?"

Mr. Diaz reached out, grabbed the wand on the desk, which erupted with bright green light. "Marco," he said, and it was if as his voice was echoing out from some vast dark space.

Then his father sighed, and everything was abruptly back to normal. No more shadows clung to the room, the unearthly chill was gone, the distant moaning stopped, and was simply a large man holding a tacky little knickknack in the palm of his hand. The doors to the room swung open. "Honey," called down the hallway, "I think it's time we had 'The Talk' with Marco."

"Oooh, I'll grab the albums," Mrs. Diaz's voice came from halfway across the house. 

* * *

Glossaryck coughed weakly as he commanded the pages of the spellbook to part before him with a wave of his hand. He may be cursed, but he was also a court wizard of Mewni. He might not have the magic to dispel the curse, but he could counter some of the effects. Long enough to get a message out, anyway. The spellbook actually had a fair number of healing spells. Unfortunately, the curse was very intelligent. The moment he had come up with a plan to communicate to someone, he had found himself no longer able to fly. The minute he tried to walk, his legs seemed to turn to jelly. He had spent the last hour or so casting all sorts of healing spells that would trigger in response to certain injuries.

Gritting his teeth, Glossaryck began dragging himself toward's Star's mirror. 

* * *

"Dad? What is going on?" Marco asked, as his father relaxed wearily in his desk chair and his mother plopped a couple of photo albums down.

"Well, son, this is something I figured I was going to have to tell you eventually. I should have known that it was going to happen soon, once you got involved with Star here." Mrs. Diaz happily squeezed onto the chair with him, and Star and Marco took up positions on the corner of the desk so they could all look down at the photo album as he Mr. Diaz flipped it open. "You see...I'm a warlock. This is me when I was younger."

The photo was of a slender young man with very broad shoulders, earning a "ooh, handsome" from Star. with a shockingly long mane of hair, wearing the strange, watercolored cloak that Marco had seen in the closet of the study. His face was painted like a skull, and he was giving the camera a big thumbs up and a wide grin. And...

"Dad, why did you have horns?" asked Marco, still stupefied by all this.

He was ignored as his mother spoke up. "I met your father when I was young, and he...convinced me...to travel with him as he traveled to other dimensions. Oh, we had all sorts of adventures," she said, smiling fondly and flipping through a few pages of the photo album.

There was his father and mother, standing next to a dwarf in iron armor and what looked like an elf in shining white robes, his father giving a goofy grin and a thumbs up-

Another picture, the four of them descending into some dungeon, his father still giving a grin and a thumbs up-

Another, the four of them standing around a flaming sword that hovered in midair above an altar. Marco's father was barely visible in this one, blocked by the flames, but he could just barely make out a thumbs up-

His father stabbing the elf in the back and grabbing the sword, smiling broadly and giving a thumbs up-

His father standing with the sword in front of a burning forest, giving a thumbs up while elves fled screaming from him-

"Wait, what were those last two?" said Marco.

Mr. Diaz began speaking again. "But your mother...ah, she convinced me after a while that you don't have to travel to other dimensions to have fun." He flipped through more of the photo album.

There was a picture of his mother and father staring out at some alien sky full of dark red stars, holding hands-

A picture of them dancing, his father in a sharp suit and his mother in a red dress, flowers in her hair, staring dreamily into each other's eyes while demons looked on in the background-

A picture of them kissing each other while on a lake with a sky of no less than five moons -

A picture of his mother, dressed in a black tank top and camo pants, holding a gun to the head of a worried-looking politician while Marco's father smiled and gave a thumbs up in the background -

"WHAT WAS THAT LAST ONE?!"

"We didn't tell you, Marco, because, well, your mother wanted some stability for her children growing up." smiled and gave his wife a quick peck on the lips. "We thought it would be best if you didn't know anything about my magical past, so you could have a normal life. At least for the early years, you know? I did always plan on telling you some day, but..." here Mr. Diaz shrugged.

Marco gave a forced laugh. "This is...this is all a joke right? Ha ha. Good one, mom and dad." He hopped off the desk. His head felt a little woozy and his legs a bit wobbly. "I...feel a little weird. Maybe I should go for a run? I think I'll go for a run." He only stopped when Star grabbed his hand. 

* * *

Glossaryck grit his teeth against the waves of pain as he pressed the button on the bottom of the mirror. "Call...HRRRK...Queen Butterfly," he gasped, his body spasming as he was healed, then tortured again.

The Queen's face appeared on the mirror. "Star, so good of you to finally call your mother," she said sarcastically. Then she glanced down at the blue gnome writhing on the floor. "Oh. Glossaryck. It's you. What's wrong?"

"It's...BLAAAARGH," said Glossaryck, snakes spewing from his mouth. A healing spell triggered.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "You better not be drunk dialing me AGAIN, Glossaryck. You're supposed to be watching my daughter."

"Not drunk...it's...OH GOD," he screamed as he spontaneously burst into flame. A small raincloud appeared above his head to put him out.

"Glossaryck, I would hate to have to behead you. But if this is just a bunch of nonsense..."

"WARLOCK," screamed Glossaryck, shortly before beetles began pouring out of his nose and ears. 

* * *

"Aw, c'mon Marco. It's not that bad. I think it's kind of neat," said Star, arm around Marco's shoulders. Marco had retreated to one of the corners of the room while Mr. and Mrs. Diaz looked on worriedly.

"Not that bad! They hid this from me my entire life. My dad's not some WARLOCK, he's a golf-shirt wearing goob!"

"I can be both!" said Mr. Diaz.

"I think it's sort of cute!" said Star.

Marco sighed. "Star, they're my parents. They hid something HUGE from me my whole life. I trusted them, and they just...never told me. I don't know. I feel weird." Marco broke free of Star's embrace and headed for the study door.

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz exhanged bashful looks. "We thought it was for the best, son," Mr. Diaz began.

Suddenly, Marco was knocked back as a portal formed directly in front of him. Out of it stepped Star's mother and father.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" Star approached them, and as soon as she was within reach, the Queen snatched her wand away.

"We're here because we just learned your FATHER set you up with a family of WARLOCKS," said the Queen.

The King rolled his eyes. "How convenient. This family suddenly becomes my choice the minute something goes wrong."

Guardsmen began filing their way into the room. "Guards, please escort my daughter back to our castle," the Queen sniffed. Then she pointed at Mr. Diaz. "And arrest this man."

"Mom!" shouted Star, leaping for the wand.

"Whoa, whoa," said Mr. Diaz, raising his hands, "Arrest me? What for?"

"You're a warlock, I don't need any more reason than that. But if you need a better one," The Queen held up the limp form of Glossaryck, "You cursed my court mage."

"I won't let you take my husband!" Mrs. Diaz stepped forward.

"You know what? Arrest her too. For being married to a warlock," said the Queen.

"Mom! Stop, you can't DO this!" Star shouted. She looked to her father pleadingly. "Dad, don't let her do this!"

"WATCH OUT, HE'S GOT A WAND!" screamed one of the guards. And then everything happened so fast.

The room dropped into the same cold, dim darkness it had been in earlier. There was a flash of searing green light, and Marco shouted and rolled to the side as the King drew his sword and rushed forward. Guards began swarming out of the portal, two of them grabbing Star. The Queen raised her wand and brilliant blue light began pouring out from it.

"Should I grab this runt too, your highness?" A guard was suddenly towering over Marco.

"Stay away from my BOY," Marco's father thundered from somewhere, and suddenly a hole into nothing opened up beneath the guard. Shadowy hands dragged him screaming into the void as the room sank into total darkness.

"Just get the warlock!" screamed the Queen, as shadowy tentacles began stabbing out of the darkness at her. She began blasting away at them with her wand. The two guards who had grabbed Star dragged her kicking and screaming through the portal.

"I've got him!" said the King's voice from somewhere in the darkness, and there was a slicing sound that Marco recognized as dimensional scissors tearing open the fabric of reality. He scrambled to his feet. There, off in the darkness, further away than seemed possible, the King and five guards were tackling what looked like a large shadow through the portal. Was that his father? His mother was on the back of one of the guards, pummeling him over the head but not seeming to do much damage. The shadow seemed to be holding them back, but then one tip and they all toppled over through the portal. As quick as it had been opened, it popped closed.

"MOM! DAD!" Marco shouted.

"MARCO!" Star's voice shouted. He whirled around.

The Queen, her business done, was stepping back through the portal. Behind her, Star had escaped from the guards and was rushing towards it, but her mother caught her by the arm. Star still struggled and reached for the now-shrinking portal. Marco began sprinting towards it, but he knew he would never make it in time.

"MARCO, I'M SO SORRY!" shouted Star as he ran towards her. Then, with tears in her eyes, "Goodbye-"

The portal closed. The darkness abruptly faded away. Marco was left in the empty study.

Alone.


	10. Chapter 10

For the next few hours, Marco tore apart his father's study, and then Star's room, looking for something that could help him get to Mewni. He didn't know what he was looking for, really. Maybe someone had dropped dimensional scissors in the battle, or maybe there was something of his father's that he could use to travel dimensions, or maybe Star had something hidden away. But there was nothing. He couldn't even tell whether any of his father's knicknacks were magical or not, and even if they were, he didn't even have the knowledge to use them.

It was something in Star's room that made him stop looking. In her nightstand was a picture they had taken together a while ago at a carnival, Star hugging Marco and beaming into the camera with a giant cotton candy cone of hers just beginning to get tangled in his hair. Marco felt a sinking feeling in his gut, and his head felt like it was filled with stormclouds. He stumbled out of her room, only to see a picture hanging in the hallway of his mother and father smiling in front of some castle, from one of their vacations. It struck him that he didn't even know if this picture had been taken on at the photo, Marco fell to the carpet, pulled his knees to his chest, and silently wept.

A couple of hours later, he calmed down a bit. Things were going to be okay, he told himself. His father was a warlock, right? He'd open a portal back to earth any time now, and come back with his mother. He'd explain things to Star's parents, and they'd relent and let her come back. He tried not to think of the tears in Star's eyes as she had said goodbye. Or, at the very least, his parents would pop in to let him know they were okay.

Hours passed.

Okay, Marco thought to himself. It's okay. Maybe his parents couldn't travel dimensions as easily as Star's family could with their dimensional scissors. Maybe it would take them a while. Who knows what bizarre spells his father had to cast to travel between dimensions.

Or maybe they were dead, said a nasty little voice inside him. Maybe your parents are dead, executed for being Warlocks, and you will never see them or Star ever again, and there is nothing you can possibly do about it and no way you can ever know for sure.

Which is how Marco found himself desperately flipping through his father's copy of Star's spellbook. He found another spellbook, as well, one with a huge metal skull design on the front, which he figured must be his father's book of warlock spells or something. None of the spells in Star's book were in any language he recognized, but some were in an alphabet similar to english. He tried sounding them out at random, but nothing was happening. Some of the spells in his father's book were in spanish, others in just more languages that he didn't know. He tried saying the spanish ones, though none of them were even remotely close to what he needed, he said them anyway. Nothing happened. As the hours passed, he even tried just making up his own spells, but still, nothing happened. He even tried simply making up sounds to go with the gibberish in the books. Still, nothing.

Then the doorbell rang.

Marco dashed to the front door of his home. Maybe it was Star, or his Mom or Dad-

It was Janna.

"Marco," she smirked, "You and Star weren't in school today. I was wondering...oh my god, you look terrible."

School? But his parents and Star had been kidnapped yesterday afternoon, after school. Marco looked at the sky. It was dusk again. Had he spent the whole night and day up in his father's study, trying to get the spells to work? He must have looked at the sky for a long time, because the next thing he knew, Janna was shaking him again. "Marco. C'mon, are you okay?" She was frowning at him.

Suddenly an idea snapped into his mind. "Janna! You talked to Glossaryck, right? You must know SOME magic!" he grabbed her hand and marched her through his house.

"Uh, Marco? Where are your parents? Where's Star?"

"They're gone. They've gone to Mewni. That's why I need you to cast a spell to get me there. You talked to Glossaryck, right? You can get me there, right?" Marco threw open the door to his father's study, which was now covered in sheets of paper with spells written all over them. "Look! My father copied down Star's spellbook. He even has a spellbook of his own! That's what you wanted, right?" Marco shoved some papers into Janna's hands. "Take me to Mewni, please. I'll let you have all this. Take me to Mewni so I can get my parents and Star back."

"Marco..." Janna said, nervously, gesturing around herself. "I...I don't know what to do with all this."

Marco stumbled back, his vision beginning to blur. He felt dizzy, like the world was stretching around him. "It's fine. I'll find something. It's fine..."

Suddenly, Janna was there, holding him up, guiding him to the desk chair. Marco tried to push her away and she rolled her eyes, slapped him, and shoved him down into the chair. When he tried to get up, she sat down on him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and whispered into his ear "Tell me what happened."

Marco found that telling someone else what happened yesterday was harder than he thought it would be. Soon there were tears in his eyes. Janna gently squeezed him whenever his voice cracked, and he found that helped. When he was done, his head was throbbing and the world was spinning around him again, and he felt like he was having trouble breathing. Janna wordlessly guided him to his bed, and then got in with him, held him until he finally fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

When Marco woke up, he wondered if what had happened had all been a bad dream. Then he felt the weight on his chest and looked down, where Janna was resting her head, and realized with a sinking feeling that it had all been real. And there was still no sign of his parents or Star. He had to do something.

"Hey, hey, calm down," said Janna, woken up by his movements. She put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him down. "Stop panicking."

"I'm not panicking," said Marco, even though with the way his pulse was racing, he knew this was a lie. Then, suddenly, he noticed something. "Wait...why am I naked?"

"You're not naked, you're wearing your boxers."

"Did...did you strip me in my sleep?"

Janna shrugged beneath the covers. "You were completely passed out and sweating like crazy. I figured, why not?"

"Okaaaaay..."

"I, on the other hand, am completely naked," said Janna, smirking as Marco jumped backwards, suddenly conscious of her smooth skin sliding across his.

"Why are you naked?!"

"I always sleep naked, Marco. I'm not going to change that just because I'm in your bed." Janna grinned. "I told Hope to cover for me and tell my dad that I was sleeping over her house. I let her know where I really was, of course. I bet there are just all SORTS of rumors going on at school about us right now."

Marco felt his stomach drop. "You wouldn't," he said. "You wouldn't tell anyone-"

"Maybe, maybe not." Janna gave a mischievous little smile, and Marco shivered as she pressed her body to him. "The rumors are probably a lot juicier than anything that actually happened. We can change that, though."

"No. Janna, let me up. I've got to look for - OW!" Janna had bitten his neck.

"There's nothing we can do right now," she breathed in his ear, her hand moving down his chest. "You're just going to make yourself panic."

"I've got to do something-"

"Shhhhhhhh," she whispered, hand lingering on his stomach.

It felt nice, to have her touching him, but made Marco nervous as hell as well. "...I won't panic," he said after a while. "Just...let me up. I'm going to go look at the spellbooks. In a calm, rational manner. And-"

"Shut up," Janna breathed, kissing him, as her hand slid into his boxers.

Marco tried to talk, but she just pressed her lips harder against his, almost so hard that it hurt. She trailed her hand across his erection, then gripped him, causing his hips to twitch. Marco's mind was getting foggy. He disengaged from Janna's kiss, with some difficulty, because she kept hungrily pushing her face towards his. Her hand was stroking him, now, and it was all he could do to choke out "Stop!"

"You don't really want me to stop." Janna's whispers in his ear sent a shiver down his spine. "This will make you feel better." Her voice dropped even lower, and Marco felt her lips brushing his ear. "And after, I'll let you do whatever you want to me." And she sank her teeth into his shoulder and began stroking faster.

Marco could barely think. He honestly wasn't even sure whether he did or didn't want this anymore. His hips were beginning to buck. Without even realizing it, he gasped out again, "Please, stop..."

And Janna did stop. The moment she did, Marco noticed she was shaking again. He wondered if she had ever done anything like this before, or if she had just worked up the nerve to do this with him. "I..I'm sorry," she said. "Did it not feel good?"

"No, no, it felt, uh, great," said Marco. "It just...I don't know, it feels...wrong, doing this, when I don't know if my parents or Star are safe."

Janna sighed, removing her hand from his boxers. She seemed to steel herself, her shaking stopped. Finally, she smiled at him. "Diaz, you tease." She gave him another little smirk. "I guess I'll just have to help." She let him get up, and slapped his ass as he got out of bed. "One day," she whispered to herself. 

* * *

Janna and Marco sat in the study, going through his father's spellbook and copy of Star's spellbook. Janna had agreed to help him look for a spell, as long as he resigned himself to just reading the spells he could actually understand. And he had to leave the room if he began to panic. "And...I guess just be ready to be disappointed," she said. "I can understand a LITTLE bit of SOME of these weird languages, but..."

"How?"

"Glossaryck showed me some when I talked to him. And I guess the internet isn't all bullshit."

Marco decided that it would be best for Janna to look through his father's spellbook first, since he already knew that Star traveled by dimensional scissors, and his father had some other method of hopping across dimensions. He resigned himself to looking through Star's spells just to feel like he was doing something, even though he already knew there was nothing there for him to find. He just didn't want to feel powerless. His cell phone kept ringing, but Marco didn't want to have to deal with the outside world, so he just silenced it.

The morning stretched into the afternoon like this. Marco left the room only to make them both some lunch. Every once in a while, Janna's eyes would widen, and she'd just say, "Wow." One time, she gasped, then looked over at Marco. "You know, your dad was into some fucked up shit, Diaz." She didn't elaborate.

Finally, as dusk was approaching again, Janna slowly put down the spellbook. "Okay," she said cautiously, "Don't get too excited. But I think...MAYBE...I have something that might help?"

"YOU DO?!" Marco nearly broke his neck running over to her.

Janna rolled her eyes. "Maybe? This spell...it's some sort of ritual. I can't tell exactly what it says, but it definitely says something about finding the one you're looking for. Basically says no matter where this person is, this ritual will bring you to them."

"All right! That sounds great!"

"There uh...some stuff we'll need. We need a piece of the person you're looking for. Specifically the book recommends...teeth. Or their nose."

"Jesus christ," said Marco. "I can probably get some hair from their brushes or something."

"That will have to do. We'll also need...blood. Like, a lot. A gallon."

"JESUS! Why do you need so much blood?!"

"Listen Diaz," Janna snapped, "Your dad is the fucked up blood magic warlock, not me. This is HIS spellbook."

"Man...I don't know, maybe we can find some dead animal-"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Marco raced down the stairs to answer it, still hoping that maybe it might be his parents. Instead, it was Ferguson.

"Hey, Marco," he said. "I came to check up on you. How come you weren't in school today? Or yesterday? Why weren't you answering your cellphone?"

"It's...a long story, Ferguson." Marco slumped. He didn't really feel like explaining everything to his friend right now. "I'm fine, though. Thanks for checking up."

"Wait. Janna? What are you doing here?" Ferguson shouldered his way inside, past Marco's attempt to close the door.

"Fucking Marco's brains out while Star watches," Janna deadpanned.

Ferguson's eyes widened. "So the rumors ARE true."

"Ahahahahaha! aHAHAHAHAH!" Marco forced himself to laugh. "Good one Janna! So Ferguson, you can go-"

"Anyway, Marco," Janna interrupted, "It has to be HUMAN blood. Not animal blood."

She's saying this right now specifically to torment me, Marco thought, as Ferguson gasped. "What do you guys need human blood for? How much?"

"We don't need human blood," said Marco, as Janna said "One gallon."

"Ha, ha ha, Janna," Marco said through gritted teeth. "That's funny. We don't need a gallon of human blood for anything. What a funny joke. You're such a JOKESTER. A HA HA HA."

"I have a gallon of human blood," said Ferguson.

"What," said Marco.

Ferguson reached into his backpack and pulled out his thermos. He opened it and poured out something that looked a lot like human blood into his hand.

"Fuck," said Janna, as Marco stepped back in shock.

"So guys, what are we doing?" Ferguson smiled, and Marco became aware that there had always been a feverish madness hiding behind his jolly smile, a darkness in his eyes. "It sounds like fun."


	12. Chapter 12

Star sighed, staring out a window at the wooded swamps of Mewni. Behind her, the King and Queen were in the middle of another heated argument.

"This whole thing was a mess, a mess," her father was muttering, pacing back and forth as the Queen tapped the wand against the side of her face, something she normally did when she was nervous or in deep thought. "We should never have just busted in there-"

"Your daughter was in the clutches of a WARLOCK," said the Queen, glaring at Star.

"Listen, honey, I know YOU hate warlocks, but some of them are harmless. They're not all evil-"

"They ARE all evil," the Queen said, incredulously. "He CURSED Glossaryck! He was puking up snakes! If you hadn't lost him, he'd be in the dungeons where he belongs!" In the chaos of porting from Earth to Mewni, Mr. Diaz had escaped from the clutches of the guards, vanishing into the forest, although Mrs. Diaz hadn't escaped, and was now in the dungeons. In the days since, the shadows around the castle seemed to lengthen abnormally.

"Maybe if we just gave him his wife back-"

The Queen snorted. "Not likely. Let him hide in the forest. He'll get worn down eventually, and then we'll have them both."

"Hide? HIDE?!" The King roared. He threw open a window, gesturing outside. "Does that look like a man who is trying to hide? Does that look like a man who is getting 'worn down'?" The window opened up onto the crumbling ruins, in the distance, of an old Necromancer's tower that had been burned down centuries earlier. Shortly after Mr. Diaz had escaped, the ruins had begun giving off an eerie glow. Now, a gigantic, burning eye hung in the sky above it, always pointed in the direction of the castle, bathing everything in a sickly orange glow.

"It sure doesn't look like one of your theoretical 'harmless' warlocks," the Queen snapped.

"Every patrol we've sent over there has failed to return," continued the King. "and it's not called 'The old Necromancer's Tower' for giggles. At least TRY communicating with him-"

"I will try nothing," the Queen bristled. "Those guards allowed him to escape, and it's THEIR responsibility to go get him. They will keep marching in there until they drag him back screaming, I don't care how many it takes. And if they can't, I'll go dig him out myself."

Star had screamed, shouted, cursed her mother, ignoring the threats of St. Olga's, to try to convince her to spare Marco's parents. But her mother was implacable, glacial. She was intent on having them both in the dungeons so they could 'stand trial' for their crimes. Star's heart twisted when she thought about Marco, all alone in his house, not knowing where his parents were or whether they were safe. Worst of all, her mother had taken her wand back, so there was little she could do about it. Star was shocked to learn that Mr. Diaz had been a warlock, but she was even more shocked by her mother's reaction to the news.

It wasn't until her father visited her last night that she had understood. Although she had refused to speak or even look at him, he had explained in a weary voice that warlocks were known for evil spells and hexes that could twist and break the mind. Not all of them abused their powers, but enough did that they had a bad reputation. "Your mother...she's overreacting, but it's only because she cares about you, dear," he had told her.

That may be so, but a lot of what her mother was doing seemed like pure spite to Star. The Queen wouldn't even let her go visit Mrs. Diaz in the dungeons. Star wanted to apologize at the very least. She couldn't even manage to sneak away to see her, since her mother now had her under constant guard. Star sighed, and, leaving her parents to their argument, trudged her way up the winding stone stairs back to her room.

Once there, she flopped on her bed. Never before had she felt more imprisoned. She reached into one of her dress pockets, and pulled out a picture of Marco, blinking back tears as she looked at it. She hadn't even had a chance for a proper goodbye. She was still having a hard time accepting that she may very well never see him again. Even if she got her hands on dimensional scissors at some point in the distant future, would he even want to see her? Would he just remember her as the girl who made his parents disappear?

As she lay back on her pillow, she noticed it was strangely lumpy, and also cold and metallic and in many respects strangely un-pillow like. She reached inside of it, and, with wonder, drew out a sword, a coil of rope, and a note.

"Thought you could use some help," the note said simply, with no signature left. Star wondered who could have left it. She had plenty of friends in the castle, but none who would want to cross the Queen when she was in one of her moods, and she had been in one of her moods ever since she got back from earth.

Regardless, Star didn't need an answer. A few minutes later, the rope was tied to a corner post of her bed, and she was descending out her window into the darkness of night.


	13. Chapter 13

The Captain of the Guard of the Butterfly family palace was an oddity. Rather than humanoid, he was a clanking, rattling humanoid mechanism, a sort of steam-powered robot, all polished brass tubes and clicking, spinning gears. A large clock made up his chest. Because of this, he was called Captain TickTock by most, nobody being quite sure what his real name was. He had been recruited from another dimension at some point during the travels of the Queen and the King, and had the eccentric habit of insisting that he wasn't a robot.

He had a reputation for caring for the men of the guard, trying his best to shield them from the Queen's sometimes brutal whims. Like right now, for example, when the Queen was sending patrol after patrol after Mr. Diaz, not caring in the slightest that they didn't return.

Star watched Captain TickTock (who she had always known as Uncle TickTock) hiss and clank his way through the dungeon hallways, towards the cell holding Mrs. Diaz. She hid in the shadows cast by the torchlight, her princess attire abandoned for one of the rough spun tunics the peasants wore, and a hooded cloak. TickTock was holding two steaming bowls of stew that he had picked up from the royal kitchen.

"Boys, boys!" he called out to the two guards flanking Mrs. Diaz's cell. "How are things down here, then? How's the witch?"

"I told you, I'm not a witch. My HUSBAND is a WARLOCK," Mrs. Diaz's voice echoed across the dungeon, followed by a snort. "What are you, from the steampunk dimension?"

Captain TickTock ignored her, turning to the guards, handing them the bowls of stew. "Here you go, boys."

"Cap'n, when is our relief gonna be here? We've been down here for a day straight," moaned one of the guards.

TickTock released a spray of steam from one of his valves that Star recognized as his manner of sighing. "I know, I know. I'm short on men. The Queen keeps sending them after that damned Warlock and none of them ever come back."

"My husband is going to tear this castle apart brick by brick to come get me," said Mrs. Diaz. "And he's going to mount your stupid brass head as a decoration above our fireplace. After he burns this entire city to the ground."

TickTock waved idly at her. "Lads, I'm sorry. But after the Queen discovered that the Princess was missing, she sent out more patrols looking for her. I had to send your relief out on patrol. I have other men I could send to replace you...but...you know how some of the guards talk, lately. I know you're both loyal Queen's men. I need good, loyal men watching this prisoner. You know what I'm saying?"

"I've heard the other men talk," piped up the younger of the two guards. "You should hang them for treason, you should, the way they go on!"

TickTock clapped a cold metal hand on his shoulder. "Ah, lad. If I could. But right now, we take what we can, you understand? Men like you, you're the backbone of this guard. You're the core I need to hold things together."

"Do you even know who my husband is? Do you think your pissant little dimension is the first he's been to?" Mrs. Diaz leaned up to the bars of the cell. "Let me go now, and I'll tell him to just go back to earth, no questions asked. If he has to break in here to get me, everyone is going to suffer, but YOU two specifically. What chance do you really think you stand if he decides-"

Star gasped silently as TickTock stepped forward and slapped Mrs. Diaz, sending her flying back into the cell. "I'm sorry for that, Ma'am," said the steam-powered robot, "but I will not have you personally threatening my men." Stepping back, he seemed to hesitate. "You boys have relief coming in a few hours, but maybe I should stay down here with you until then. Make sure things stay screwed on straight." Star bit her lip. She hoped that the Captain wouldn't stay. She had memories of watching him practice swords in the courtyard. He might clank and rattle and hiss, but she had never seen anyone move faster with a blade.

"Ah, no, Cap'n," said the older guard, gruffly. "You gotta deal with the Queen and all. We can keep an eye on this prisoner."

Captain TickTock nodded. "You're good men," he said. "We make it through this, I'll see you both get promotions." He began clanking his way back, out of the dungeon. As he passed Star, he paused, and Star held her breath. She knew her Uncle TickTock also possessed some keen senses. There was a reason he was Captain of the Guard. After what seemed like an eternity, he kept moving, disappearing up the stairs.

Star was prepared to fight the guards, but she was in luck. They both fell asleep shortly after finishing their dinner. She tiptoed past them, taking the key ring from a peg on the wall, and approached the cell.

Star winced when she saw Mrs. Diaz. She had a rapidly swelling black eye from the slap TickTock had given her. She also looked like she had been crying, and Star realized she must be worried sick about Marco. "Who are you," she said, miserably.

Star threw back her hood and put a finger to her lips as Mrs. Diaz's eyes widened in surprise. She fiddled with the lock, quietly as she could, wincing with every tortured squeal the ancient metal gave, but the two guards seemed to be dead asleep. Finally she pulled back the bars and Mrs. Diaz slipped through. Star took her hand and silently led her to a small alcove in the wall that concealed a passageway into some of the winding, hidden tunnels that were built into the Castle.

Once they were far enough away from the dungeon, in an area where Star knew sound wouldn't carry, she spun around and embraced Mrs. Diaz. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Mrs. Diaz, I'm so sorry my mom is doing all this. Oh my god, I can't believe Uncle TickTock hit you. Are you okay?"

"Oh, Star, I'm okay, I'm fine. I just want to get home, Marco must be worried sick. I hope he's okay."

Star stepped back, still grasping Marco's mother by the arms. She had been trying not to think too much about Marco. "I know," she whispered. "Uh, Mrs. Diaz? Were you serious when you said Mr. Diaz was going to...you know...tear the castle apart brick by brick and burn the city to the ground?"

"Oh, Star," Mrs. Diaz said in a reassuring tone of voice, "Burning it to the ground is the least of what he'll do."

"Wh...why did you say that like it was supposed to make me feel better?"

Mrs. Diaz sighed, eyes shimmering, clasping her hands together. "My husband is just...very passionate, let's say. I'm afraid if he doesn't see me as soon as possible, he's going to do something destructive. And sexy," she added under her breath.

"Hmmm," said Star. "I was going to try to hole you up in here while I tried to steal a pair of dimensional scissors for you guys, but if that's the case, maybe I should get you to him as quickly as I can."

Mrs. Diaz smiled and nodded, and Star wondered if her bruised eye was going to cost some people their lives. She led Marco's mother by the hand again. The tunnels became tighter, darker, the walls rough and damp. After what felt like hours of walking, they emerged in a cave that led out into the forests of Mewni.

Mrs. Diaz breathed in deeply. "Ah, that fresh air feels good." She looked up into the sky, where the gigantic burning eye her husband had summoned hung like an omen of doom. "Oh," she cooed, "He always did have a flair for the dramatic."

Star thought it was oddly adorable how Mr. Diaz was apparently ready to commit war crimes to save his wife, but it was still her family and her people that were threatened, and regardless of how much of a jerk her mother was being she'd rather not have a war started over all this. "Allllright, Mrs. Diaz, let's get you back to your husband as quick as possible, so nobody's home has to be turned into a pile of ash. After I drop you off there, I'll come back to the castle to pick up some dimensional scissors. Or who knows, maybe your husband found some way to get back to earth."

Mrs. Diaz sighed. "I don't really think it's that easy, Star. What's to prevent your mother from just coming back to earth to arrest us again?"

Star opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again, and then shut it again. She hadn't really thought of that. "Uh. Hmmm."

"And," Mrs. Diaz said quietly, "What would YOU do, then? Even if your mother left us alone, would you be okay with leaving earth? With never seeing Marco again?" Mrs. Diaz was a shadow in the forest, her eyes glittering in the dark.

Star's heart felt like it was being tied in knots. "No," she whispered miserably, wiping her eyes.

Mrs. Diaz gave out a sly little laugh. "Well," she said, grasping Star's hand, "I do agree that maybe we should get me to my husband as quickly as possible. But maybe on the way there, you and I can have a bit of a talk."

Star felt odd, the way Mrs. Diaz said that, but she nodded silently, and led Marco's mother into the forests and swamps of Mewni.


	14. Chapter 14

Marco crouched miserably in the rotted hollow of a dead tree, drawing his father's multicolored cloak around him to protect from the soaking rain. It was unbelievably muggy in the swamps of Mewni.

It had taken Janna an entire day to prepare the spell ritual that would bring them here. Marco had prepared by packing a backpack full of food, supplies, and a couple of tents. He would have packed three, but two was all he had. Janna, of course, insisted on sleeping in his. He had also, on an impulse, bought along his father's cloak that had been in the study. It was light and cool, more than seemed possible, leaving Marco wondering if it was magic. He tried not to think about the great bloody mess that the spell had left in his parent's living room.

At first, he had been delighted that it had worked. The moment that Janna had finished her incantations, a smoky, blood-red portal had opened up in front of them. Marco had eagerly dived through.

But it wasn't long, though, before they figured out that the spell hadn't necessarily dumped them near anyone they were looking for. They were in the middle of a muggy, humid swamp. Most disturbingly, in the sky hung a huge, burning eye. When Marco climbed a tree, he could tell it was coming from some ruins that were unsettlingly close to them. He could also see what looked like a castle and a city in the distance. He had quickly decided to move as far away from the burning demon eye as possible, and move in the general direction of the castle.

But it had been slow going in the swamps. Ferguson, surprisingly, was actually light on his feet when it came to marching. It was actually Marco who had the most trouble. The pack on his back wore him down, and it seemed like every step his feet sunk into sucking mud. It hadn't been long before night fell, and they had to find some solid ground to make camp on. Janna had given him a sly wink as she crawled into their shared tent, so Marco had insisted on taking the first watch. He had wanted to be alone for a while to formulate a plan. All he could think was that it was probably best to head towards the castle. Star would most likely be there, and she might have information on what happened to his parents.

"Marco."

Marco yelped at the sound of his name, jumping out of his hiding spot. He flicked his flashlight on, and the light illuminated the chubby face of Ferguson, hanging mere inches from his. He looked like a ghoul in this light, so Marco yelled again.

Ferguson laughed, clapping Marco on the shoulder. "You're too easy to sneak up on."

Marco shuddered at Ferguson's touch. He still wasn't sure what to think of him. And he had no idea how, exactly, the fat kid managed to sneak so silently through the swamps. "Yeah...what's up?"

Ferguson shrugged. "My turn for watch. Go get some sleep."

As Marco stumbled and slipped his way back to his tent, he noticed that a flashlight was illuminating it from within. When he entered through the flaps, Janna was within, lying on her stomach, reading through his father's spellbook, and the copy of Star's spellbook, that they had bought with them. She was also completely naked, her tan skin covered in a slight sheen of sweat.

Marco found he was more exasperated and amused by this than shocked or nervous anymore. He was too worn out, had seen too much, to be shocked at this breach of propriety. "Janna, why are you naked?"

Janna glanced up at him, smiling. "I told you, Diaz. I always sleep naked. Besides, it's so hot." She winked at him. "You should take your clothes off too."

"You don't look like you're sleeping to me." It was unbearably hot. Marco took off his father's cloak.

"Maybe you could help me sleep," Janna said slyly. Then her eyes widened as Marco continued to strip, taking off his shirt and jeans as well. "W-woo!" she finally stammered, again trying to hid her nerves. "Take it off!"

Marco ignored her as he got down on the mat on his side of the tent. "Turn the flashlight off, please," he said. "You should get some sleep, too."

The darkness hadn't lasted two minutes before, as he suspected would happen, Janna's hands snaked around him from behind. "I told you I couldn't sleep," she whispered in his ear, pressing her body against his back. And that was it. The feel of her skin on his was more than he could bear. He quickly rolled over, catching Janna in his arms, so she was pinned beneath him. "Marco?" Janna gasped, eyes wide and gleaming in the darkness.

"Do you enjoy tormenting me, Janna?" Marco could feel her body trembling against his.

"Maybe if you weren't so easy to torment-" Janna gasped as Marco slid his right hand up her thigh. He could feel the heat coming from between her legs. "What are you-"

"Because I can torment you too," Marco said, sliding his fingers into her. Janna gasped, then clapped both her hands to her mouth. Marco curled his fingers inside her, and she let out a muffled moan. He could feel her body straining against his, her hips lifting, gyrating against his hand. He continued to rub her from the inside, responding to her moans and gasps, until finally it felt like her whole body was trying to lift up, trembling, shaking with tension, her back an arch, her hips grinding down frantically against his fingers. Her hands desperately scrambled for a blanket that she shoved into her mouth as she came, muffling a long, satisfied moan. Marco withdrew his fingers, and she grabbed his hand.

"More," she whispered. Marco couldn't help but laugh. It was odd to see her like this, all her teasing abandoned for the moment. "I want more."

"Go to sleep, Janna." Marco rolled off her and back onto his side. She wrapped her arms around him and spooned him from behind again. He could feel that she was still shaking, her legs sliding back and forth against each other, her hips still moving. She was taking in shaking breaths as she rubbed against him. Marco fell asleep wondering if she was getting off to this. 

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE'S GONE?!"

Captain TickTock winced as the Queen screamed at him from her throne. He stood in the vast emptiness of the court, the King and Queen staring down at him from their seats of power, as hushed nobles watched on. "Ah, your highness," he replied, "I'm afraid that, with all the patrols gone missing, I'm short on men. The boys down there, they'd been awake for a day straight. They nodded off-"

"Execute them," snapped the Queen.

"I'm sure that's not necessary," said the King quickly. "I'm sure the Captain here will discipline them properly."

The Captain nodded. "They are being sent on the next patrol scheduled to assault the Necromancer's tower." The robot shrugged, as if to say, 'It might as well be an execution.'

"Fine," the Queen hissed. "Do you know HOW she got free?"

"I rather suspect it was your daughter who set her free, your highness," replied Captain TickTock. The nobles filling the room tittered and gasped.

"SILENCE," roared the Queen. Then she glared down at her Captain. "TickTock, this is the second miserable failure of the castle guard to fulfill their duty. First my daughter, then my prisoner goes missing. If it were not for your many years of competent service, and the fact that we are currently in a crisis, I would get rid of you."

Captain TickTock kept his silence. These were idle threats. The Queen hardly took enough of an interest in the particulars of military matters to choose a new Captain of the Guard.

The Queen paused for a moment, shifting in her seat. Her grip tightened on her wand. "Perhaps it is time for me to go root this warlock out personally."

"A wise decision," Captain TickTock said, eagerly. "I can round up the remaining guards to march with you-"

"Dear," said the King, interrupting, "If Star is out there with Mrs. Diaz, there's a good chance she's trying to return the lady to her husband. With an army marching behind you, you'd never catch up to them in time. By the time you reached the Necromancer's tower, she might already be in his clutches again, as you say. Would that really be the best time to be launching an attack on him?"

The Queen leaned back, frustrated. "Ah, you're right. You were always better at strategy than me." Her scowl was a mix of appreciation and annoyance at her husband for his advice. "What should we do?"

"Send out patrols," the King advised. "Light patrols may stand some chance of catching up to her before she reaches the tower. Then, once she's back in our hands, if you like, we can go take on the warlock without worrying about our daughter being held hostage." Then the King shrugged. "If she DOES get to him first, we will really have no choice but to negotiate with him for her release."

"Very well," sniffed the Queen. Then, pointing an blue-gloved finger at the robot, "BUT, Captain TickTock, you are going to PERSONALLY lead these patrols. This is a chance to correct the mistakes of your guard. Find my daughter. Find my prisoner. BRING THEM BACK."

Captain TickTock bowed and scraped his way out of the throne room. Upon exiting, grabbed the arm of one of his Sergeant-at-Arms, one of his most loyal men. "Ah, Cap'n, how'd the bitch treat you?" the man gave an ugly, toothy grin.

"Sergeant," said the Captain coolly, "Get together ten of my most discrete and loyal men."


	15. Chapter 15

Star and Mrs. Diaz had been marching through the forest ever since dawn had broken, after spending a fitful night in a hollow log, listening for sounds of castle guards looking for them. Every once in a while, Mrs. Diaz would look up into the sky, at the gigantic burning eye, and sigh wistfully.

By some miracle the woods were silent. Star knew her parents would be sending out patrols to look for her, but wherever they were looking, they weren't anywhere close. In the beginning, she and Mrs. Diaz had remained silent to avoid giving away their position, but after a while they stopped worrying. When Mrs. Diaz spotted a relatively clean lake, with a waterfall splashing into it, she insisted they stop so they could freshen up, and Star agreed. She needed to look at her map anyway. Maybe there was some place they could rest other than the forest tonight.

But she found she couldn't concentrate on the map. Without the steady march to keep her occupied, her thoughts turned immediately to Marco. She was having difficulty imagining a resolution to all of this where she got to see him again, and that left her feeling empty inside. She tried to keep her mind off him, but all she could think of were his big brown eyes, and his smile that had always been able to lift her spirits. She sniffled and wiped away tears.

"Are you okay, dear?" called Mrs. Diaz from the lake, where she was rinsing out her shirt.

"Ah...yeah, I'm fine. Hey, Mrs. Diaz? How did you meet your husband?" Star was curious, but she was also just looking for something to keep her mind off of Marco.

"Oh, it was so long ago," murmured Mrs. Diaz, staring off into the distance. "The first time I ever met him, I thought he was a huge jerk, actually. It was at a friend's halloween party. But at the end of the night, I was dancing with him. Have you ever danced with someone and just felt so happy and free? After that, well..." she smiled wistfully.

Star considered Mrs. Diaz's question, and realized she had felt that before. When she was dancing with Marco. The realization was like a punch to her gut, and she put her face in her hands and tried to muffle a sob.

Suddenly Mrs. Diaz was there, arm around her shoulders, patting her back. "What's wrong, Star?"

Star drew in a shaking breath and calmed herself down. "It's...what if I don't ever see you guys again? You and Mr. Diaz have been so nice to me, and Marco...he's the best friend I've ever had. I can't imagine never seeing him again. Well I can, but then it feels like I've been kicked in the chest."

"Haven't you ever had any other friends you've had to leave behind before? Sometimes leaving behind friends is just part of life."

"None like Marco," Star sniffed. "I've had friends I had to say goodbye to before, but...I really don't WANT to say goodbye to him. Maybe it's stupid, but I...I guess I thought we'd just be friends forever." She shrugged and gave a miserable smile. "I mean I sort of want to be friends with ALL my friends forever. But something feels different with Marco."

"It sounds like you two are really close." Star was sitting beneath a tree, and Mrs. Diaz seemed to be merging into the shadows of it, although she was only a few feet away. All Star could really see were her glittering eyes.

"Yeah, I guess we are. He's...just special to me. When he's happy, I'm happy."

"Reminds me of how I felt about my husband, after I met him," Mrs. Diaz murmured. Her expression was unreadable, a mysterious smile half hidden in shadow.

Star blushed furiously at that, though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Does he ever make you angry?"

Star blinked, not sure how to respond. "Well...I mean, sure, sometimes. Right now I kind of want to punch his stupid face for making me so sad about never seeing him again."

Mrs. Diaz's smile widened, her eyes now little more than two twinkling stars in the shadow. "Do you know how I first realized that I loved my husband?"

"No, how?"

"It was after our first serious fight," said Mrs. Diaz. "I was so, so angry at him. Furious. And hurt. And I had hurt him, too, I could tell." Mrs. Diaz pulled at her hair, lost in the memory. "THAT was how I knew I loved him. The fact that he had hurt me so badly. And I knew he loved me, because I had hurt HIM.

Before that, I had been very fond of him, yes. His happiness was my happiness, like with you and Marco. But that alone isn't love. Love is being so close to someone that they can hurt you very easily. And that makes you want to lash out at them, sometimes, to try and hurt them, because they are your weakness and they don't realize sometimes how much they hurt you, and all you want to do is hurt them back. Hurt them back, to make sure they feel the same way about you, and because they've hurt you. And beneath it all, you're happy to feel the pain, because that's how you know you love, and are loved. There is no love without pain and cruelty."

Star was completely silent, digesting this. "Love is crazy," she said finally.

"Yes," Mrs. Diaz whispered. Then she gave a loud laugh. "One day, of course, you learn to live with the person you love. You have a sort of lifelong truce. But in the beginning, there needs to be that pain, or else there is no love. At least, that's how I always thought about it." She patted Star on the arm. "Why don't you take a bit of a rest? You look like you could use a nap. I'll wake you up when I'm done cleaning up."

Star nodded, suddenly realizing that she WAS, indeed, very tired. She hadn't felt that way before. She lay down in the leaves piled beneath the tree as Mrs. Diaz returned to the lake, her thoughts inevitably drifting to Marco, and what Mrs. Diaz had said. Did he ever hurt her? Actually, he did. There were things he said sometimes that got her so, so angry. And sometimes, just sometimes, when he was paying attention to Jackie, there was a stab of jealousy that twisted inside her, though she tried to keep these things to herself. If she was honest with herself, when he told her about his kiss with Janna, she had been mad with jealousy. She had told herself that this was just because she was worried about losing her best friend to a romantic relationship, but she couldn't be so sure. And...did she ever make him angry? She couldn't remember. Maybe she didn't. And then, all of a sudden, the fact that she wasn't sure if she ever made him angry made HER angry, though she couldn't really figure out why.

She drifted to sleep to these thoughts.

In her dreams, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were both smoky, floating shadows, holding her by the arms, leading her across a grassy plain to a dark forest while a full moon hung in the sky. They paused at the edge of the dark forest, and Star could see Marco, about ten feet in the forest.

"Marco!" she called out, but he just gave her one of those uncaring smiles he got sometimes, waved, and disappeared further into the forest. And suddenly she was furious with him.

She dove into the forest, tearing through brush and smashing aside tree branches, chasing after Marco. But he was no longer there. Instead, a black wolf chased her through the forests, nipping at her heels, biting her legs and arms. Every time she was bit, she felt an odd mixture of fear, pain, and happiness.

Finally, blood pouring from her wounds, she grabbed a sharp stick, and, the next time the wolf came to bite at her, she stabbed it, driving the stick into its side. The wolf yelped and whimpered and disappeared into the shadow of the forest...only to reappear as Marco, staggering out of the shadows with a wound in his side. He was also extremely naked.

"Oh...wow, nice," was all Star could think to say, stupidly, in her dream, before she realized that she was naked too. "Oops," she babbled, and then Marco had grabbed her and was nipping at her neck, and she grabbing him and wrapping her legs around him and gasping-

And then Star gasped herself awake. Trembling, she shook the leaves out of her hair.

"Oh, are you awake?" said Mrs. Diaz happily, from the shore of the lake. "I was just getting ready to wake you."

"Uh...yeah..." said Star, jumping up. Wanting to get the dream out of her head, she grabbed her map and unrolled it again. "Uh. Hmm. Let's get moving again, Mrs. Diaz. I think there's a farm or a village up ahead that we can reach before nightfall."


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, when Marco awoke and climbed a tree to get a sense of where they were, he spotted columns of smoke rising in the distance, which, after some observation, he figured were from chimneys, though he couldn't see any houses for the trees, yet.

Janna was awake already, having been the last to take watch last night. She whistled appreciatively as Marco climbed down the tree. She seemed to have recovered from what had happened last night, regained her confidence. "Smooth, Diaz," she called, as he tripped over himself on the landing. Marco pinned her with what he hoped was a smoldering look, and she blushed and glanced away. He kind of liked that.

"It looks like there's a village somewhere up ahead," he said, as he began to remove the pegs to his tent. Ferguson's tent was already down, and his chubby friend was nowhere in sight. That worried him. "I think we should head towards it. Maybe they'll be able to tell us something about where Star and my parents are? I imagine an interdimensional warlock would be big news."

"Didn't you say Mewni is sort of a...medieval world? Would we really fit in with the peasants and everything in our clothes?"

Marco shrugged. "I've been here before with my parents and we didn't get THAT much attention. Maybe they're just really used to interdimensional travelers."

"Hey...while he's not here...Marco, maybe we should talk about Ferguson? When I came out for watch last night, just went back to his tent and packed it up, then went out into the woods. The NOISES I heard..."

Just then, Ferguson popped through the bushes behind Janna. "My ears are burning!" he said cheerfully, and Janna shuddered. "There's a path up ahead," he continued, "With a sign on it pointing to some place called 'Bandit's Point'."

"Bandit's Point?" said Janna, skeptically. "Sounds great."

"I also have some stuff that may help us blend in," said Ferguson, unloading a heavy sack from his back. Within were some rough tunics, weird caps, the sort of thing that peasants in Mewni might wear. And three rusted, worn swords.

"Uh, Ferguson? W-where did you get these?" Marco lifted up one of the tunics.

"Let's just say I 'found' them," said Ferguson with a ghoulish grin.

"Is...is this blood on this one?" said Janna, lifting up a tunic.

Ferguson's grin grew considerably more ghoulish. 

* * *

It took them most of the day to reach Bandit's Point. The path, originally little more than a dirt trail, eventually grew larger, paved, leading them out of swamps and ruins and into a more pristine area of forest. It was dusk by the time they reached the village.

True to its name, Bandit's Point was a dim, nasty looking place, a small collection of ramshackle buildings that seemed to have been hacked together out of rotten, splintered wood, with filthy, crowded streets, and small, rat-faced inhabitants. As soon as they entered, Marco couldn't help but feel like they were being watched.

Marco wanted a place where they could maybe talk to some of the locals and ask them a few questions, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of public space in this town. Finally, Janna pointed out one run-down little building with a sign on it that seemed to indicate it was an inn. Kind of. There was no writing on the sign, just a beer mug, with a knife stabbed through it. But enough noise and light seemed to be coming from the place to indicate a common room.

They came in through the door, attracting nothing but a few incurious dances. The patrons seemed to be too busy crudely cheering on as a toothless old man played the piano, and a fat, ugly old woman did a 'dance' on one of the tables that exposed way too much of her pallid flesh.

Marco cleared his throat, then tapped one of the cheering patrons on the shoulder. The man turned around and gave him the most hostile glare imaginable. "What is it, you shitty little runt?"

"Um, excuse me, sir," said Marco, "But-"

"WHAT IS IT?!" roared the man. "I'M TRYING TO WATCH TITTIES HERE!"

"I-I-uh," stammered Marco, taken aback by the man's hostility.

The man spat at his feet and then turned his back on him.

Marco steeled himself, and then, prepared for almost any level of hostility, tapped another man on the shoulder.

The man turned around and without any hesitation whatsoever punched Marco in the face. "TITTIES!" he cried, spittle flying from his mouth. Then he went back to ignoring Marco.

They walked up to the counter of the bar, behind which a prodigously fat man was wiping dark grease into the counter with a filthy rag. "Are you the owner here?" asked Marco. The man grunted what Marco assumed was an affirmative. "Do you know anything about Princess Star Butterfly? Like where she might be?"

The man pinned Marco with a one-eyed glare. "I don't concern myself with what royals do."

"How about...um, a warlock? Have you heard anything about that?"

"No," the owner spat. "What do you want, boy? You want drinks? Rooms?"

Marco considered this. Night was falling, and it would be nice to sleep somewhere other than the tents. "Rooms would be nice," he said.

The Barkeep grunted, then said, "It's five copper a night. Or if you let her dance, it's free," he said, pointing at Janna.

"Me? Dance?" Janna said.

"Sure, girl. Old Rhonda's titties are plain awful to look at. Girl young as you, I bet your tits're nice and perky. Get totally naked, I'll even pay you for the business. Anything more than that, you'll just have to work out with each individual patron."

"I-I am not a whore," stuttered Janna, completely taken aback for once.

The Barkeep shrugged. "Could've fooled me."

Marco held back a furious Janna as Ferguson smiled his sickening smile and produced a purse full of coins that he had apparently obtained along with their clothes and swords. 

* * *

Marco lay on his bed, which was rough, threadbare and stuffed with straw, barely better than sleeping on the ground. There was still a dull roar from the common room downstairs, where Rhonda had apparently upped the ante of her performance. Marco planned to go back down there when things had died down a bit and ask around when people weren't distracted by sagging, veiny breasts. He shuddered at the memory.

"Marco," he heard Janna calling from her room. Hers was right next to his, and the walls were ridiculously thin here. "C'mere, check this out."

"What is it?"

"A surprise," and he could hear the smug coyness in her voice. He had been expecting this. After the previous night, she would be trying to get the upper hand on him somehow.

He sighed, got up and walked to her room. He didn't bother knocking, just entered and closed the door behind him. Her room was completely dark, except for the moonlight slicing through the window, illuminating a large tub in the center of the room, filled with steaming water, which Janna was lounging in. "Check it out, Diaz, I got them to bring me up a tub."

"Did you have to show the owner your tits for that?" he teased.

Janna splashed at him. "No! Fuck you. You're just jealous that I get a bath." She winked at him. "You can take one too, but you'd have to squeeze in here with me. It's a tight fit."

"You're right, maybe I should just leave." Marco turned around. There was a splash as Janna lurched out of the tub and tackled him to the floor.

"You are such a jerk, Diaz," she panted, the moonlight shining off the water dripping from her body as she looked down at him with lidded eyes. Marco could see nothing of her body, only the silhouette of her curves in the darkness. "Take off your clothes and get in the tub with me."

"And what will you do if I say no?"

Janna gave him an inscrutable look, then kissed him, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. "Ow!" he cried, but she was unbuckling his cloak, lifting his tunic above his head, kissing his chest, biting his shoulders. Her breathing was heavy, frantic almost. He pushed himself up on his shoulders as she slid his pants off, and then paused when his erection sprang into view. "Let's just get in the bath, Janna," he said, suddenly nervous.

Her eyes gleamed, predatory, as if she could hear the nerves he felt. "Maybe I want to get a little dirty before I get in the bath again," she said, and he felt her hand slowly creep along his thigh. "I owe you one, Diaz."

He laughed, trying to gain control of the situation, and stood up, kicking off his pants. "You don't owe me anything," he said, but before he got any further Janna shoved him, and he stumbled back onto the bed. "Hey, wait-" he began, but Janna was on him, pushing apart his knees, and her head was between his legs and then her mouth was on him, hot and wet. He collapsed back on the bed, his mind in a fog, watching her head bob up and down from his peripheral vision, feeling her gasp and moan even as she sucked him. When his hips began to buck she removed her mouth and moved up his body so she was nuzzling his neck while her hand stroked him, gasping into his ear with each twitch of his hips, until she moaned his name in his ear as he came.

Afterward, while he was still in a daze, she led him to the tub, guiding him in first and then getting in with him, sitting between his legs, resting her head against his chest. Marco could still taste the salty blood in his mouth from when she had bit him earlier.

"Janna," he began, but didn't get any further. She looked up at him, then awkwardly dragged his face down to hers to kiss him again.

"Be quiet," she said, almost whispering. She nuzzled against his chest again. "This is nice."

So they sat there in the tub, skin on skin, silently. Slowly, the din from the common room downstairs died down. Marco wrapped his arms around Janna, holding her to him. He could feel her trembling again. He closed his eyes and just listened to her breathing, enjoyed the feeling of her naked body against his, listening to the inn die down. He could hear people talking downstairs, though the noise had died down enough so that he could hear individual conversations.

Suddenly, he heard the word "princess." He perked up, startling Janna.

"What is it?" she asked, and he shushed her, straining his ears to listen. As the conversation went on, first he, and then Janna got out of the tub to get dressed.

"...She's at the old Poyle Farm, y'know, her and some older lady. Maybe the other one the boss is looking for." came a rough, wet-sounding voice from downstairs, the sentence punctuated by a hacking cough.

"How do you know that?" A smoother, hissing voice, harder to hear. "They're Queen's men."

"The Barretts saw 'em. We should go get her, yeah? The Queen would give in to all sorts of demands if we had her daughter hostage."

"We should just grab her and rip her pretty little head off," said a third, snarling voice. "Teach the Queen a lesson."

"Didn't the Boss say that he had a plan for her? Isn't he the reason she's out of the castle in the first place?" said the cougher.

"Yeah, but a new message came in today," said a fourth voice that Marco recognized as the Barkeep. "He says take her alive or dead."

There were a few moments of silence regarding this.

"I don't get it, why let her go if he just wants her dead now?" said the hissing voice. "Didn't the Boss want her to make it to the warlock a few days ago?"

"Oh, nuts to the Boss," said the snarler. "None of us even know who the hell he is."

"Yeah, because if the Boss let everyone know who he is, he'd be handed over to the Queen and have his head chopped off," said the cougher. "It's treason to do what he's planning."

"Oy, speaking of all this," said the Barkeep, "There were three kids in here earlier, askin' around about the Princess and the warlock."

Marco and Janna, now fully dressed, glanced at each other nervously.

"Yeah? And where are they now?" asked the cougher.

"Oh, I put 'em in the rooms upstairs."

There was a small pause.

"Roy, you fuckin' idiot. You can hear EVERYTHING from up there."

There was a clatter of chairs being pushed back, the sounds of three heavy men jumping to their feet. Marco swore, then grabbed Janna and his sword. "We have to get out of here, quick, quick, get Ferguson-"

The door creaked open, and Marco yelped. But it was just Ferguson, slipping into the room. "I heard everything," he said. "I've got all my stuff. We're getting out of here, right?"

"Yeah, we need some kind of distraction though-"

"Oh, I've got that covered," said Ferguson.

"OH GOD, WHERE DID ALL THIS FIRE COME FROM?!" roared the Barkeep from the bottom of the stairs.


	17. Chapter 17

Star and Mrs. Diaz arrived at the Poyle farm a little before dusk, feet aching. Mr. and Mrs. Poyle were pleasant, plum old pumpkin farmers. When she first knocked on her door, Star had kept her hood up, and had tried to pretend that they were both just simple travelers, and tried to pay them for the use of one of their rooms. But Mrs. Poyle had screamed "Oh Henry! It's our Princess!" and from that point forward, would not accept any money. The fat, pipe-smoking Henry Poyle had put out some pumpkin pie and cider for them to eat, and Dolores Poyle had given them new clothes and insisted on washing their old ones.

When Star had tried insisting that none of this was necessary, Henry had grunted "Nonsense. It's an honor, yer majesty. And we're likely to be the only friendly face yer going to meet around here." As they ate pumpkin pie, he had warned them against visiting the village up ahead. "I don't know where you're headed, Princess, and it's none of my concern. But if you want to let me in on it, I can tell you the best way there."

Star had decided against telling the Poyles where exactly she was headed. They seemed loyal enough, but they might have suspicions if they found out she was headed towards the ruins where the warlock that had a burning eye hanging in the sky was. Instead, she and Mrs. Diaz insisted on helping the Poyles with their chores. Which really amounted to Mrs. Diaz helping the Poyles with their chores, since a lifetime of castle living had made Star useless with the concept.

When night descended, they gathered in the living room to sit by a roaring fireplace and joke and laugh. The Poyles never asked any uncomfortable questions, completely respecting Star's privacy. It was going to be a comfortable night's sleep, Star thought. When she had the chance, she had to see that the Poyles were rewarded for their hospitality.

Then, just as they were about to retire for the night, there came a sharp rap on the door.

"Comin'," said Mr. Poyle, hopping out of his chair and waddling to the door, opening it.

There, silhouetted in the moonlight and the sickly orange light cast by the burning eye, was the imposing metal frame of Captain TickTock. His yellow lantern eyes flickered from Mr. Poyle to the living room, locking on to Star. "Hello, Princess," he said coolly. 

* * *

Marco, Janna and Ferguson had fled the inn in Bandit's Point, leaving behind a veritable riot when they did so. They had hopped out of the second floor windows into a pile of filthy hay, and by the time they were down the street the inn had already erupted into an inferno, fire pouring from the windows. Ferguson had given an innocent smile and a shrug.

Luckily enough for them, they had quickly found a street sign pointing the way to the Poyle farm. Marco suggested traveling off the road, in case they were being followed from Bandit's Point. So, difficult as it was, they trotted their way through the forest lining the road. Fortunately, the combined light of the moon and the burning eye in the sky lit the night, so though he struggled with the pack on his back, Marco could easily see the way.

The Poyle farm was not far away at all - in fact, the farmhouse could almost be seen from the edge of town. Very soon, the forest gave way to fields of pumpkins, huge ones, some the size of small houses. The house up ahead looked cheerful enough, he could tell that a fire was roaring inside from the lights dancing from the windows. He wondered if Star was sitting by that fire.

As they drew closer, though, it became clear that something was wrong. There was shouting, the sound of screams, and breaking glass. The three rushed forward, hiding behind a large pumpkin, until they were about thirty feet from the house. Marco gasped.

There, in front of the merry little farmhouse, was Star...being dragged along by some clanking, steam-shooting robot. Without thinking, he tossed the pack from his back, and before either Janna or Ferguson could stop him, dashed forward, sword drawn. 

* * *

Star struggled against the iron grip of Captain TickTock as he dragged her, forcefully, away from the farmhouse.

The minute the Captain had seen her, he had pushed Mr. Poyle aside and locked his metal claws around Star. Two more guards had pushed their way into the farmhouse and tried to seize Mrs. Diaz, but she had cracked a glass cider jug over the head of one and shoved the remaining shards into the face of the other. Star hadn't seen what had happened after that, she had been dragged out the door.

"Uncle TickTock," she gasped, as the metal claws tightened around her arm, "Let me GO! You're hurting me!"

"I don't have time for your royal nonsense today, Princess," the robot replied. "You're coming with me."

And then, a dark blur had tackled into them, sending them both toppling over. TickTock released his grasp on her. When Star looked up from the ground, it was...

"Marco?!" she cried.

Marco stood above her, draped in his father's multicolored cloak, facing off against Captain TickTock, holding a sword towards the steam robot. "You're not taking her anywhere, robot," he snarled.

If Captain TickTock's gear-and-brass face could be said to express contempt, it was registering it now. With a flick of his wrist, so quick that Star barely saw his guard's cloak move, one of his metal claws was grasping the blade of Marco's sword. "I am not a robot," he hissed.

And then he crumpled the sword like foil.

"MARCO!" Star screamed, as Captain TickTock lifted her friend with one hand and drew his sword with the other.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH MY SON!" screamed Mrs. Diaz from the doorway of the farmhouse. Star glanced back. Marco's mother was in the doorway of the farmhouse, struggling to escape the clutches of a guard with a bloodied face.

Captain TickTock looked at her, then gave a weary sigh, venting steam in a cloud around himself, and flung Marco aside like a ragdoll, sending him flying easily thirty feet, crashing through a pumpkin. He didn't get up. Star scrambled backwards as the Guard Captain advanced on her, not sure where to go.

"Princess, in here!" cried Mr. Poyle's voice from behind her. Star looked back at the farmhouse door. The guard Mrs. Diaz had been struggling with lay unconscious on the doorstep, and Mr. Poyle stood in the doorway with a pitchfork in his hands. Star leaped for the door, feeling the metal hands of Captain TickTock clawing through the air behind her.

Once inside, Mr. Poyle quickly slammed the door, and Mrs. Poyle tipped a gigantic dresser in front of it. TickTock slammed into the door seconds later, but it was a thick, solid door, and it held.

Mrs. Diaz was weeping inside, trying to peer out one of the windows. "Star, did you see, is Marco okay?"

Star thought about the way Marco's limp body had crashed into the pumpkin, and felt panic begin to overwhelm her. "He's...he's okay," she forced herself to say. "We're going to be okay. This is Uncle TickTock, I know him, he...has to obey me, he wouldn't hurt me-"

"Burn them out," she heard TickTock cry from outside. 

* * *

Janna had watched the whole scene with mounting horror. When the robot had thrown Marco, he had landed not ten feet away from them. Janna had pulled him out from the wreckage of the pumpkin and behind the cover of another, larger pumpkin. He was bleeding, groaning, barely conscious. "Oh god, Marco, why are you so stupid?" she whispered.

"Burn them out!" she heard the robot cry. "And you two, go retrieve the boy." Janna's heart dropped into her stomach. What was she going to do? What COULD she do?

"Janna," said Ferguson from behind her, his voice flat and dangerous. Janna turned around.

Ferguson held a paper in his hand - one of the spells that Mr. Diaz had copied down from Star's spellbook. "Cast it, Janna," he said.

Janna took the paper from him. It had notes scrawled on it by that she recognized. This was the spell that had been used on the beach, that had turned people into monsters, that had turned Ferguson into...

"No!" she cried in horror.

"Janna," said Ferguson, his face contorting into a horrific grin, "You have no choice. It's the only way we can get out of this."

"No," she whispered, remembering the break in reality that Ferguson had turned into. "No, no. Please no."

"Yes," said Ferguson. His hands wrapped around hers and Janna gasped in terror and disgust. "Yes."

"Hey, is someone back there?" said a guard's voice, from perhaps twenty feet away.

Weeping, hands shaking, Janna read the spell.

"Yesssssssssssssssss," hissed Ferguson, as his features began to stretch, contort, and his face split in two.

There was a pink explosion.


	18. Chapter 18

Captain TickTock watched, impassive, as two of his guards threw oil-soaked torches through the front windows of the farmhouse. He had four men around the back door, the only other exit. He could just barely make out the frantic, panicking figures of the princess through one of the windows, along with the owners of the farm. If he could capture the farmers, he was going to have to hang them for defying the crown. If they got away, well, burning down their farm would have to be enough.

Suddenly, off to his right, there was an explosion of pink light. From where the boy had landed, he realized, before he had even turned around.

He didn't know what, exactly, he was looking at. It was like the night had grown hundreds of mouths, lined with fanged teeth. It was like some huge, branching, morphing tree of smoke, with a thousand laughing tongues, and one huge, all-white eye in its smoky depths, rooted about thirty feet from him. The two guards he had sent to retrieve the boy's body were screaming, screaming, screaming until it seemed like their throats had to rupture. Captain TickTock raised his sword.

Like a spreading oil blot, the creeping nightmare oozed forth and swallowed up the two guards in snapping jaws, cutting short their screams. Captain TickTock ducked as the thing surged forth again, just barely managing to dodge a slavering, humongous mouth that would have easily swallowed his head. As the thing soared above him, he raised his sword to cut into it. It didn't seem to notice, only spewed some viscous black goo. "Oh, perfect," he growled as he was coated in the thick slime.

The nightmare creature roared past him and slammed into the side of the now flaming house, collapsing one of the walls. Fragments of flaming wood flew far, landing in the pumpkin field, which soon began to burn as well. Guards were screaming, running, while tendrils of toothy darkness snatched them up left and right. The people inside the house were screaming. The fire was quickly building to an inferno. The situation was lost. There was no salvaging it.

Captain TickTock looked back to where the howling fissure of mad darkness had originated. There, a sobbing girl was trying to drag away the boy he had flung aside earlier. TickTock's lantern eyes flashed red fury. "You," he snarled, pointing his sword and advancing on them.

Janna dropped Marco and screamed as the hissing, clanking steam robot bore down on them. 

* * *

When the torches had first come through the windows, Star had tried to tell the Poyles not to toss water on them. She hadn't been quick enough though, and when they did, the oil on them splashed everywhere, sending fire all over the tiny farmhouse, quickly setting curtains and rugs ablaze.

"This place is going to be an inferno soon," said Mrs. Diaz.

"We have to get out of here!" Star cried.

"Star...they probably have guards around the back." Mrs. Diaz shrugged. "You said you knew this robot, right? Maybe we should just surrender to him. I want to see if Marco is alright."

"I-" Star began, and then from outside there was a huge flash of pink light.

"What was th-" said Mrs. Poyle, and then in a huge roar the eastern wall collapsed, sending flaming rubble flying at them. Beyond the wall was a sick, alive darkness, with dozens of snapping, roaring jaws.

"Oh god, Ferguson," Star whispered, sinking to her knees. She was dimly aware of Mrs. Diaz pulling her away from the roaring madness, dimly aware of the sounds of screams. After what seemed like an eternity the Ferguson-thing shuddered back away from the collapsed wall, oozing back out into the fields, which were quickly become engulfed in flame, chasing fleeing guards.

She felt herself being pulled to her feet, dragged out into the night, running between pumpkins that had become towers of cracking flame. Mrs. Diaz was shouting for Marco, while Mr. Poyle was screaming that they had to get to the forest. Star didn't know where Mrs. Poyle was. The fire was spreading incredibly fast. By necessity, they were forced towards the forest, Mrs. Diaz screaming for Marco every step of the way. At some point, Mr. Poyle became separated from them, and they had no choice but to continue to the forest without him

They were nearly to the trees when Janna, of all people, ran into them, out of breath and singed.

"Janna?!" Star gasped in shock. "Were you with Marco? Is he alright?"

"I had to leave him behind," Janna gasped, "I had to - he's after me-"

"Who-"

"PRINCESS," called a screeching, metallic voice. They all turned to face the fields, which were now a solid sheet of flame. From the flames strolled a smoking Captain TickTock, sword in one hand, pitchfork in another.

Mrs. Diaz, Janna and Star stepped backwards towards the trees, and TickTock, never breaking stride, flung the pitchfork at them. They ducked, and the pitchfork stuck, quivering, in a tree, where Star's head had been moments before. Hardly pausing, TickTock began sprinting at them, sword drawn, eyes two red hell-lights, like a train bearing down on them.

And then, from the sky, floating down like a sheet, like an endless cascade of folding madness, came Ferguson, collapsing between the robot and , Star and Janna, flowing, collapsing, surging towards Captain TickTock. He hacked at the darkness as it pushed towards him, then, cursing, fell back into the field of flames that was the farm. Ferguson oozed after him, happily ignoring the flames, and the two disappeared into roaring inferno that was the pumpkin farm.

Janna, Star and Mrs. Diaz ran into the forest, not stopping until the fire was no longer visible. 

* * *

Some time later, Captain TickTock emerged from the flames. It had begun to rain, and the raindrops hissed as they struck his red-hot metal surface.

He had run from the moving nightmare, run until he thought that even his metal legs would give out. But eventually the thing had apparently lost interest in him and moved off towards Bandit's Point, which was now a cacophony of screams. He glanced towards the village in the distance as an explosion rocked it, setting off a fresh chorus of screams. There was little he could do about that now.

"Captain?" came a quavering voice from behind him. The one guard that he had, in the middle of all that chaos, managed to slap some discipline into. So he had survived.

"Get me some water, soldier," said TickTock casually. "I am overheated."

"Yes, Captain. And our prisoner?"

The steam robot wheeled around. In the guards arms, bound and gagged, but with furious eyes, lay the prone form of Marco.


	19. Chapter 19

Mrs. Diaz, Janna and Star ran through the forest, breathless, not stopping until the roaring inferno that had been the Poyle's farm was just a twinkle in the distance. Even then, they could hear the roars and mad babbling of the thing Ferguson had become, echoing to them from the distance, nightmare whispers carried by the wind.

When they finally came to a stop, it was in a clearing provided by some crumbling stone ruins. They were gasping for breath, freezing from their sweat and the night wind. They collapsed, and Janna immediately slumped against a wall, drew her knees into her chest, and began sobbing.

"Janna," Star wheezed, "What's wrong?"

"Marco, I had to leave Marco-"

"WHAT?!" cried Mrs. Diaz, grabbing a hold of Janna's shoulders, as Star sank to her knees, a void clawing at her heart. Was he okay?

"I had to leave him behind," sniffled Janna. "That robot was coming for us and Marco just screamed at me to go. I didn't want to leave him behind but there was nothing I could do and that robot probably killed him-"

"No," said Star, unbelieving. "Uncle TickTock wouldn't kill him for no reason. He's...he's alive, I'm sure of it-"

Mrs. Diaz and Janna looked at her with tired, sad eyes. "Star," said Janna, "Your...uncle...just burned down someone's house."

"That's because...he's the Guard Captain, and he was trying to get me," Star said. Oh god, she realized, he was trying to get ME. The Poyles lost their farm and might be hurt or worse because of her. They might be dead.

"It seemed like he was trying to kill you," said Mrs. Diaz. "He nearly impaled you with that pitchfork."

Star shuddered at the memory of the pitchfork TickTock had flung at her, how it had traveled through the air so fast that it was almost as if it teleported from his hand to the tree, mere inches from her head, thrumming. "No," she said firmly. "He wouldn't do that. He's our Guard Captain, I've known him since I was little. He just thought he was trying to save me. He might even hurt me if he thought it was for my own good, but he wouldn't kill me." She took Mrs. Diaz's hands. "You'll see. I know exactly what Uncle TickTock is going to do next. He knows Marco is your son, since you shouted it out. He's smart, he'll take Marco hostage-"

"Oh, wonderful," said Mrs. Diaz.

"And then he'll make a trade. Once we get to Mr. Diaz, he'll trade Marco to you guys in return for me." Tears welled up in Star's eyes. "And then you can go home."

Mrs. Diaz sighed. "I hope you're right," she said. "Because if Marco gets hurt..." She shrugged, and looked at the gigantic burning eye in the sky. Star understood the message. There would be no stopping Mr. Diaz. 

* * *

They decided to walk through the night. After the disaster at the farm, none of them could sleep anyway.

They were closer than ever to the Necromancer's tower. The forest they traveled through was regularly dotted with old, worn ruins of white stone. As they walked, Janna explained to them how she, Marco and Ferguson had come to Mewni.

"I hope you didn't get...TOO much blood in the living room," said Mrs. Diaz when she heard of the spell ritual Janna had used.

Star watched Janna closely while she was talking. Though this was no time to be thinking of it, she remembered how Marco had told her how Janna had kissed him and flashed him. She watched as Janna's eyes twinkled when she spoke of Marco, though it was hidden behind a pall of sadness.

What had happened while she was with him? Star didn't believe nothing had happened. Star was surprised to find jealousy welling up within her, along with anger at Marco. Why was she angry at him? He hadn't done anything. Besides, maybe nothing had happened. The way Janna described it, Marco had been very worried the entire time. He would have been too worried for anything to happen with Janna, and she would never be so callous as to take advantage of his emotional state. Or would she?

Star kept her mouth shut while Janna offered Mrs. Diaz reassurances about her son. But when they stopped to rest, and Janna wandered away into the forest, Star followed her, silently.

Janna walked until she was out of hearing distance of Mrs. Diaz, then sat down and leaned against a tree, sighing and staring off into the distance. Star was about to approach her when Janna called out "I know you're there, Star."

Star shrugged and sat down next to Janna. They held their silence for a few moments. "So, this is your world, huh?" said Janna. "Seems violent."

"It's, uh...not always this bad," replied Star. Although honestly, that wasn't necessarily true. Mewni was a pretty brutal medieval world. The silence came back, stretched on. "Janna-" Star said, breaking the silence.

"You know, Marco was so worried about you," Janna said, speaking over Star, still staring out into the distance. "I mean, he was worried about his parents, too. But when he talked about you, he got this frantic look in his eyes. I could tell it made him panic, thinking about you." She shook her head. "All I wanted to do was take his mind off you. He was worrying himself to death."

Star wasn't sure how to feel about that. Part of her hated that she had caused Marco such worry. Part of her liked it, though, and she wasn't certain why.

Janna sniffled, and all of a sudden Star became aware that she was crying. "You know," said Janna, "I kept thinking how odd it is. I've known him for so much longer than you, but I bet I could never make him panic like that. I could never hurt him like that. The way you do without even trying." Suddenly she gave a miserable laugh. "It's not fair. God, he's such an idiot, the way he ran in to try and save you. I hope he's okay."

Star was a little frightened. She was on thin emotional ice here, she realized. She didn't understand what Janna was feeling, and she didn't know what to say about most of it. But she could recognize her concern for Marco. "Oh, Janna, don't worry," she said, "I'm sure Marco will be fine..." And Star was sure. No matter how badly he had been hurt, there would be healing magic at the castle that could help him.

She tried to put her arm around Janna, and the girl slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me," she snapped. "God, how can you be so...unconcerned about him? He is such an idiot. Throwing his life away, and here you are. 'He'll be okay.' UGH, I can't believe this." Janna stomped away, and Star didn't follow her. How could she explain? How could she explain that if she gave into her fears about Marco right now, she wouldn't even be able to walk? That she'd collapse and wouldn't be able to get up?

They both returned to Mrs. Diaz, and continued marching through the forest.

The burning eye loomed ever larger, ever more malevolent in the sky, a glimpse of Mr. Diaz's fury. For the first time, Star found herself wondering exactly how powerful Mr. Diaz might be. Before, she had been confident that if it came to a fight between Mr. Diaz and her mother, with the aid of the wand, her mother would easily win. But seeing that eye up close - that pulsing, roaring flame, the baking heat beating down on the landscape - she began to wonder.

Finally, just as dawn was beginning to break, they came across a set of stairs carved into a mountain path, framed by an arch in the shape of a yawning skull.

At the top of the mountain loomed the Necromancer's tower.


	20. Chapter 20

Star, Janna and Mrs. Diaz marched slowly up the stairs to the Necromancer's tower.

The stairs were worn, crumbling and littered with signs of recent battle. Broken, torn pieces of armor, skeletons still wearing the armor of the Castle Guard, large rust-colored blood stains revealed the fate of all the guards Star's mother had sent after Mr. Diaz. Eventually they came across a large arch with a humongous pile of ash beneath it. Mrs. Diaz held up a hand and threw a rock through the arch. Green runes flashed to life, and in a blast of light, the rock was incinerated.

Mrs. Diaz smiled and put her hand on the glowing runes. With a small bell chime, they turned blue, and winked off. "It should be safe now," she said. "My husband always makes spells that can recognize me."

Past that arch, there were no longer any signs of battle. As they neared the top, the shadows lengthened, then became true darkness. It was almost noon, but the light grew dim, the sun hidden behind the burning eye, whose sickly orange light fell on everything, casting odd shadows. When they reached the foot of the tower, they had lost all sense of what time it was.

The tower itself was a towering edifice of dark stone, bristling with skulls and gargoyles. The front door was a huge stone slab surrounded by a massive, yawning skull. Mrs. Diaz knocked on it as Janna and Star stood back, intimidated. "Dear?" she called.

Immediately, the doors, which must have weighed a ton each, flew inward. Inside was a humongous, dark shadow in the shape of a man, furious whirlpools of golden light swirling where the eyes should be, with two humongous horns extending from it. Janna gasped and stumbled. Star, who had seen this before, stood her ground.

"Love," said the shadow, with a voice like a thousand echoing screams, reaching out a dark hand to caress Mrs. Diaz's face, tenderly stroking the bruise on her eye. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, no, dear, I'm fine," said Mrs. Diaz, holding the shadow's hand to her face.

In an instant, the shadows wrapped around Mr. Diaz fled. He was a normal man again, if looking a little tired and ragged. He swept Mrs. Diaz up in a humongous hug, kissing her passionately. "Star! You're here too. Are you the one who bought my wife back to me? And...Janna?" Mr. Diaz looked puzzled.

"We have some bad news," Mrs. Diaz said as they all entered the tower. As Mr. Diaz led them up the central staircase, Mrs. Diaz explained to him how Marco, Janna and Ferguson had come to Mewni, with Janna filling in a few details along the way.

"It's okay, Mr. Diaz," Star said, as he paused at the top steps and frowned. "You can trade me back to my mother for Marco. And then you guys can go home."

"I would prefer to solve this without violence," said Mr. Diaz. "You know, Star, your mother should be more careful." He lowered his voice. "Before you bought my wife back, I figured I was going to have to storm the castle to rescue her. You know the peasants here are on the edge of revolt, right? I was cooperating with them. They were planning on helping me storm the castle so they could overthrow the King and Queen."

"Oh, the peasants are always revolting," said Star. "They never even make it past our castle guard."

"Well, they're going to be plenty disappointed when they hear I'm not helping them anymore." Mr. Diaz put a finger to his lips. They had reached the top of the tower, where, apparently, Mr. Diaz made his lair. "I have an informant from the revolting peasants here. Don't tell him anything you just told me, okay? I can still use him to get updates on how Marco is doing in the castle. He doesn't need to know we're not helping them anymore." With that, he pushed open a dark iron door at the end of the stairs.

Past it was a bare stone room, lined with windows opening out to the night sky. In the center of the room was a well full of a sickly green, glowing light. At one of the windows stood a rat-faced, tiny little man, next to a table and a caged pigeon.

"Finnegan!" cried Mr. Diaz. "How goes the revolution?"

Finnegan blinked at Mr. Diaz, and then gasped in shock at the sight of Star. "Princess?" he said, incredulously.

"Yes, yes, the princess," said Mr. Diaz. "We can talk about that later. I wanted to ask you for a favor. Apparently, my son has been captured by-"

"Oh, yes, my lord," said Finnegan, with downcast eyes. "Yes, I wanted to tell you, I just received a message about that." He unrolled a piece of parchment. "This morning, Guard Captain TickTock presented the King and Queen with a young boy that he claimed was the warlock's son."

"Oh, well, there we go," said Mr. Diaz.

But Finnegan wasn't done. "The Queen immediately sentenced the boy to execution by beheading."

Mrs. Diaz gasped, and the room got deathly silent. Star could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Her mother wouldn't do that. Why would she do that? "Th...there's still time," said Mr. Diaz. "We have to hurry, we can go there and rescue him before the execution takes place-"

Finnegan sadly dropped his hands to his sides. "My lord, the execution took place this afternoon. Your son is already dead."

Star retreated into her own head. She was vaguely aware of Mrs. Diaz screaming, the most awful screams she had ever heard. She was vaguely aware of Janna shaking her, hitting her, crying that her stupid family had killed Marco. Mr. Diaz just stood there, a vacant expression on his face. Star couldn't move, couldn't even think, even when Janna slammed her head against one of the stone walls. Marco wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Suddenly, Mr. Diaz was holding his wand, and the room erupted into shadows that converged on him, swarmed over him, until he was buried in darkness. From the depths, the two swirling golden whirlpools reappeared. Mr. Diaz continued to drink in the darkness. It was as if every shadow in the world was drawn to him. He grew larger, larger, larger, until with a crash and a roar, the stone walls and ceiling fell away, revealing the dark sky and the burning eye, which was now glowing white-hot.

He reached out with two shadowy claws, raising them high into the night sky, and suddenly the entire landscape was roaring flame. It seemed like the whole world was dancing flame and shadow. In a voice that seemed to drain life out of the very air, a voice so loud it could crack mountains, he intoned, "THIS WORLD WILL BURN!"

Almost gently, Mr. Diaz, now a humongous ever-growing shadow, took off into the air, flying towards the royal castle in the distance. Beneath him, a sea of flame spread, engulfing everything in his path.


	21. Chapter 21

After the fight at the Poyle farm, Captain TickTock had taken Marco from the remaining guard, telling the man to return to the castle on his own. Hoisting Marco on his cold metal shoulder, he had taken off at a relentless mechanical sprint, feet crashing through the burnt grass, faster than any man could run. Marco had watched the still-burning farm disappear rapidly behind him, and in the distance, he could just make out the screams from Bandit's Point as Ferguson rampaged through it.

He had no idea whether or not Star, his mother, or Janna had survived the inferno at the farm. The anxiety was making it difficult to breathe, and in a blind panic he squirmed and strained against his restraints, kicking against the robot that was carrying him, until the metal man, with a metallic grunt, swung him off his shoulder and dumped him rudely on the ground. His gear and brass face filled Marco's vision, the glaring white lanterns of his eyes making him wince.

"Boy," said the robot, "You continue to squirm, and I am going to break your toes one by one."

Marco tried yelling around his gag, producing only angry muffled noises. Captain TickTock sighed and removed his gag. "Did you kill them, you dumb robot?" Marco spat, as soon as he could speak. He was immediately stunned by a hard metal slap that left his jaw feeling loose.

"I am not a robot," said Captain TickTock coldly. "My name is TickTock." Then he stood up, looking down at Marco appraisingly. "If I tell you what happened to them, will you sit still?"

Marco nodded sullenly, his mouth too sore and full of blood to speak.

"Your mother, the Princess, and that other girl you were with? They escaped into the woods." Captain TickTock grimaced, and then shrugged. "Ah well. You have to roll with what you're given, you know?"

Marco wasn't sure what he meant by that. He could only spit blood. Still, it was good to know that they were okay. "What about my father?" he asked.

"Your father? You mean the warlock?" the robot snorted and pointed to the burning eye hanging in the sky. "Boy, that there is your father's handiwork. He's doing just fine, believe me."

Marco took all this in silence.

"You're a brave one," continued Captain TickTock, using a metal claw to turn a valve on his mechanical legs, releasing a hiss of steam. He seemed to be taking a break from running. "Jumping in front of the Princess like that. I was half a second from gutting you."

"Where are you taking me?" Marco said, jaw cracking back into place as he spoke. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he did so.

Captain TickTock dabbed it away with a corner of his cloak. "Back to the castle. I'm Guard Captain, boy. How stupid would you feel if I killed you, eh? You would have died pointlessly protecting the princess from the person who's supposed to be protecting her. Maybe you will think before you dash into these situations in the future, eh?" Then the robot squatted in front of him, white lights filling up Marco's vision. "The Princess. You care for her a lot?"

Marco turned away from the painful white lights and, hesitating, nodded.

Captain TickTock stood and snorted. "You really shouldn't, boy." His metal visage twisted into an odd semblance of a smile. "You'll thank me before all this is through." Then he grabbed Marco again, hoisted the boy back onto his shoulder, and took off at a sprint once more. This time, Marco did not struggle. He merely watched the woods blur past, and tried to stay as comfortable as possible.

The robot made few stops. First, he stopped back where he and his men had apparently made camp, a circle of five tents in a small clearing. Captain TickTock entered the largest of these tents, which had a table with parchment and a quill, and a few cages of pigeons in the corner. Dumping Marco on the ground, the robot began quickly scrawling out a few letters with mechanical efficiency, tying them off to the legs of the pigeons.

"What are you writing?" asked Marco.

"Orders," Captain TickTock replied absent-mindedly. Then he turned his bright glare on Marco again. "Your father, the warlock. How powerful would you say he is, exactly?"

Marco considered lying, but then realized he had no idea in what direction he should lie. "I really don't know. I didn't even know he WAS a warlock until recently."

Captain TickTock responded with a disappointed-sounding "Hmm," as if he had been hoping for more information. Then, elbows on the table, clasping his metal hands together, he looked at Marco. "That's odd, you know, boy. Your father is pretty notorious. I didn't recognize him at first, but I've seen that burning eye before. I've been places where his name is spoken in dread."

"You have? I thought he had never been to this dimension before Star bought him here."

"Other dimensions." The Captain smirked. "This isn't the first dimension that I've been to." Then he released the pigeons he had attached messages to, hauled Marco back onto his shoulders, and began sprinting again.

Marco considered trying to escape, but it really seemed hopeless. He was bound tight, and even if he did manage to temporarily get away, it seemed like the robot would catch up to him in a heartbeat. He resigned himself to being bought to the castle, and fell into an uncomfortable, cramped sleep to the motion of TickTock sprinting beneath him. 

* * *

When he awoke, the sun was beaming down on his face. Marco looked up to see the Mewnian castle looming above him. Captain TickTock was still tirelessly sprinting beneath him. They were nearly at the city walls.

Before they entered, though, they stopped at a small ramshackle inn just outside the wall. TickTock slammed the door open, and, without a single word to the innkeeper, went upstairs. There must have been some form of understanding, because the innkeep gave no protest.

Captain TickTock dragged Marco to a room with just one small window, a table and quill, and a pigeon. He placed Marco in the corner, and began writing out a letter.

"What are you writing this time?" said Marco, curious.

Captain TickTock gave him a weary look, then wordlessly walked over and tied a cloth around Marco's mouth, gagging him again. "That's enough out of you," he said. Then he finished writing his letter, attached it to the leg of the pigeon, opened the window, and set it free to fly. "The die is cast," he said, quietly.

Then the robot grabbed Marco once more and abandoned the inn.

Past the city walls, peasants gawked at them in the streets on the way to the castle. Some of them threw tomatoes and rotten fruit, though they seemed to be aiming mostly at Captain TickTock, rather than Marco. Some of them cried protests:

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU STOPPED THE WARLOCK?!"

"I CAN'T SLEEP WITH THAT EYE IN THE SKY!"

"I BET THE QUEEN'S IN LEAGUE WITH THE WARLOCK, ALL MAGIC'S THE SAME!"

A mob was beginning to form around them. However, they backed off quick enough when Captain TickTock drew his sword. As they reached the castle, a line of guards formed at the gates to hold back the howling mob. Once within the Castle walls, TickTock began picking off bits and pieces of rotten vegetable that were stuck to him.

A fat little man in a ridiculously poncey outfit skipped up to them. "Captain TickTock. The Queen demands your presence in court immediately." The man sniffed. "I see you do not have her daughter."

"I will not keep her highness waiting," replied Captain TickTock simply, shoving the man aside.

After a few twists and turns inside the castle, the robot reached two massive wooden doors. He flung them open, revealing an ornate throne room. At the far end, sitting on their thrones, were the King and Queen of Mewni. As ever, their courtiers lined the sides of the room, tittering and fanning themselves.

"Captain TickTock," said the Queen, as the robot approached the thrones, "Where is my daughter?"

TickTock deposited Marco on the cold marble floor, ignoring the Queen. "This is Marco Diaz, son of the Warlock-"

"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER, YOU STUPID ROBOT?!" shouted the Queen. The court got dangerously silent.

Captain TickTock shuddered and shook. "Not a robot," he said, quietly but distinctly.

"WHERE, TICKTOCK?"

Captain TickTock paused, gears whirring, and almost seemed to draw himself in, as if he was taking a breath. "She's dead," he said.

Marco shouted against his gag as the court erupted into gasps of shock and horror. The King slumped against his throne in shock. The Queen also looked to be in shock, her hand shaking as she clutched the wand, which was beginning to glow with a cold blue light. She raised it, and a blue flash startled everyone into silence. "How...did...this...happen?" asked the Queen, biting off each word.

"I pursued her to a farm on the edges of Bandit's Point. The Warlock must have been informed about her presence, because he had descended from his tower to capture her. His son was with him - he must have some method of traveling between dimensions already. The fact that he has not left, or offered to leave, proves his ill intent. My guards fought valiantly, but were no match for the warlock's dark magic. He set fire to the farm, and summoned a foul creature that even now ravages Bandit's Point. As for your daughter, well...I am afraid that this is all that's left of her." He drew out an item from his cloak and dropped it on the floor: A charred and warped, but recognizable, pair of Star's devil horn headbands. There was complete silence as they clattered to the floor.

The Queen shook, her eyes burning with blue, crackling magic. Blue light was beginning to emanate from her, filling the throne room. "I...WILL...END...HIM," she said, as a pair of magnificent butterfly wings, seemingly woven from blue light, unfurled from her back.

Just then, a distant explosion rocked the castle, followed by a roar and a howl. People crowded the windows to look outside and catch a glimpse of what was happening.

From the distant Necromancer's tower, like a rolling apocalypse, shadows were filling the sky, and the ground beneath them was turning into a sea of flame.

The throne room erupted into chaos.


	22. Chapter 22

**T** he courtroom was an almost unimaginable din. Nobles screamed and clawed at each other in order to get away from the hellish light pouring through the windows. People were screaming, smashing into each other, stampeding. Knocked to the floor by fleeing nobles, Marco caught a brief glimpse of the Queen's blue wings unfurling above the crowd, and the growing blue glow of her magic.

Then, Captain TickTock appeared, throwing nobles bodily aside. He reached out with one metal claw, grabbing Marco. Holding the boy close, TickTock snaked his way quietly through the chaos, to a secret alcove in the courtroom. A small twist of a torch set in the wall, and a small door opened into a dark tunnel. TickTock slipped inside and shut the secret entrance behind himself. Marco was knocked around in the small secret hallway as the Guard Captain sprinted through it, going down, down, down. He squirmed and screamed, throwing himself against the walls, until TickTock finally dropped him. With a metallic hiss of frustration, TickTock scrambled about in the darkness until his arms closed around Marco again. "Boy, sit STILL," he snapped.

But Marco bunched himself into a small ball and lunged out as hard as he could, both legs catching TickTock square in the chest. The robot staggered back for a moment, and then the darkness fell away as his eye-lanterns landed on Marco. Seeing the tears running from Marco's eyes, he sighed and cut away the boy's gag. Marco spit blood at him. "You told me she was ALIVE," he sobbed. "You lied to me."

"She is alive," said Captain TickTock. "I lied to the QUEEN."

Marco felt the panic in his chest subside. "Why? Why would you lie to the Queen?"

"You don't need to know that."

Marco scrambled away from the robot as best he could, slipping back into the darkness. "How do I know you're not lying to me, right now? How do I know she's not really dead?"

"You don't," snapped the robot irritably, "other than to note for yourself that the only thing that I gain from lying to you now is your physical compliance, something I could gain just as easily by knocking you unconscious. Or breaking your arms and legs. I would prefer not to do that, but I don't have all the time in the world right now. So you can accept my word and stop squirming, or I can snap your limbs like twigs. What will it be?"

Marco kept his silence, and did not resist when the robot picked him back up. It wasn't much longer that they reached the end of the tunnel. TickTock pushed aside a stone door to reveal the dungeons. He strolled casually to a cell flanked by two guards and threw Marco inside.

As Captain TickTock slid the cell door closed, Marco scrambled to his knees as best he could. "The Princess is alive!" he cried to the two guards at the door to his cell. The guards looked back at him with utter apathy. TickTock rolled his eyes and began to walk away, but was stopped by someone advancing down the stairs.

It was a one of the Mewni nobles, a handsome young man dressed in green silks, flanked by two large guards that weren't wearing the colors of the Mewnian Castle guard, presumably some of his personal house guard. "Captain TickTock," said the young noble with a sneer, "I thought I might find you down here. Where is the boy?"

"The boy is imprisoned," snapped Captain TickTock irritably.

"Yes, just so," said the noble. "But we will be taking him. For execution. He was involved in the death of the Princess I was to court, and he must pay."

"No, you won't. He's still a valuable hostage for negotiation."

The noble snorted. "There will be no negotiation. The Queen is intent on exterminating this warlock and all associated with him."

Captain TickTock gave a sort of odd, twisted smile. "I mean, I will be the one using him for negotiations."

"Under whose authority?" demanded the noble. "I don't think I like the tone you take with your betters. Now be a good robot and-"

In a blur, Captain TickTock's metal claw lashed out and grabbed the noble by the neck, clamping down like a vice. Before the noble's guards could even move to help him, TickTock's sword lashed out and they stumbled away, clutching at the wounds bubbling blood at their necks.

"Not a robot," hissed Captain TickTock, lifting the noble off the floor. "And I don't have to sit by and take it anymore. Let's hear you say it. Let's hear you apologize."

The noble, turning blue, scrabbled at the metal claw closed around his neck. "You'll...hang for this," he wheezed.

Captain TickTock gave him a look of disgust, then tightened his grip until the noble's neck collapsed with a crunch. He flung the body aside. "Hide these bodies," he commanded the two guards. "And guard that boy with your life. We WILL need him for negotiations, if all goes to plan. Everyone else is marching out to battle, so you should be the only men here. You shouldn't have much trouble."

Then, with a flourish of his cloak, TickTock vanished into the darkness. 

* * *

Star clung to the ruined stump of one of the tower walls, watching Mr. Diaz float towards the Mewnian castle, fire spreading beneath him. The inferno around her was whipping up a massive wind, searing her, sending her hair flying wildly behind her. This was madness. It had to stop. She couldn't watch her home burn down.

She went to Mrs. Diaz's side. Marco's mother was still weeping, her face in her hands, collapsed against the remaining stump of the wall. "Mrs. Diaz," she said, "Please...we have to stop your husband..."

Mrs. Diaz looked up, and Star was shocked at her normal kindly features contorted by grief and rage. "Why would I stop him?" she hissed. "Let this world burn. I don't care. My boy is dead."

Star was taken aback by her venom for a moment, but pressed on. "No," she said, "I don't believe it. My mother would NOT execute Marco. She may be strict, but she wouldn't kill Marco for no reason. Besides, it doesn't make sense. My mother usually takes advice from the King and Captain TickTock about this sort of thing. They DEFINITELY would have told her to use Marco as a hostage and trade him for me. There's no reason to have killed him. She didn't kill him! I don't believe it!" As she finished, Star became aware that she was shouting.

Janna and Mrs. Diaz were staring at her, tears still fresh in their eyes. "Can you be sure?" asked Janna.

"I...I won't believe he's dead until I see it with my own two eyes." Star turned to Finnegan. Mr. Diaz's informant was still staring into the sky in disbelief, watching Mr. Diaz bring Armageddon to Mewni. "You! Who do you get your letters from? Who told you Marco was dead?"

Finnegan removed his cap and sat down on the stone in shock, seemingly ignoring the Princess. "God, not like this," he said, eyes fixed on the black scar Mr. Diaz's flames were leaving on the landscape. "Not like this."

Star snatched the papers from Finnegan's hand, and began reading them. They had no signature, but the script was distinctive, and looked oddly familiar. All at once, she recognized it, those hard dashes, the incredible neatness of the letters. She had seen this writing before.

When she was young, and she had been so, so afraid of the giant metal man who led the castle guards. And he had immediately won her over by giving her her first wooden sword to play with, and on the hilt had been carved "To Princess Butterfly: may this sword serve you better than the wand will. TickTock." And from that moment on, she had called him Uncle TickTock. These were those same letters.

"This...this makes no sense," said Star. "Why would Uncle TickTock be informing the revolution?" But Finnegan, transfixed and overwhelmed by the hell on earth Mr. Diaz was creating, would not, or could not, answer. This was another shock Star could not wrap her head around. Was her Uncle, Guard Captain since before she was born, aiding traitors?

Star turned to Mrs. Diaz and Janna. She didn't know what this meant. She didn't know whether or not this meant Marco might still be alive. But she still refused to believe that her mother would execute him. A significant portion of her believed that, anyway. Another part of her just clung to that hope to keep herself from falling into screaming despair. "Listen," she said to Mrs. Diaz and Janna. "Please. I don't know what's happening. But my mother wouldn't kill Marco. But someone might want Mr. Diaz to THINK she did, to use him against her. We have to stop him. Please...don't let him kill my family," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

Mrs. Diaz's features softened into something more recognizable. "Oh, Star," she said. "I don't know what we could do. When my husband gets like this..." she gestured at the world of smoke and flame around them, "-there's no reaching him."

"I...guess I might have something that would help," said Janna. "I don't know. Maybe we could find something in here that would let us catch up to him?" She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a book.

Mr. Diaz's warlock spellbook.


	23. Chapter 23

In the courtyard, the castle guard of Mewni assembled beneath a rapidly darkening sky, forming up by company, in groups of twenty, with their sergeant standing at attention in front of each platoon. The Queen was a nimbus of blue light, fluttering in the sky high above the castle, casting protective spells as quickly as she could. The King was decked out in brutal, barbaric, thick steel armor, holding a club nearly the size of himself, mounted on a war unicorn similarly covered in dark steel.

Captain TickTock marched back and forth in front of his men, briefly talking with each sergeant, giving orders for the coming battle. One particular sergeant, a burly brute with scars across his face and a small beard, seized him by the arm as he stopped to make his rounds. "Cap'n," he growled, "Put us on the front lines. I watched Star grow up. I taught her how to break necks, how to fight, and this bastard warlock kills her. LET ME CRUSH HIS SPINE!"

Captain TickTock gingerly removed the man's hand from his arm. "I understand your pain," he said quietly, "But you and your company will be bringing up the rear."

"The rear?! Cap'n, my platoon's the most loyal one you've got left. Why the rear?!"

Captain TickTock stepped back. "Because, sergeant, I am sure you know that there is a certain amount of unrest in the land. There is only so much you men can do against the warlock. I want my most loyal platoon protecting the Queen from any surprise attacks from the rear."

"But Cap'n, wouldn't it be better if we were right by the Queen, to protect her-"

"Soldier," said Captain TickTock coldly, "You have your orders. I don't need your opinion, I need your obedience. Now carry them out."

The sergeant watched as the robot marched away, then whistled. A tall, thin, sneaky-looking soldier broke ranks and appeared at his side. "What do you think of that, Corporal?"

"Somehow I am unsurprised, Sarge."

Both soldiers had been with the castle guard for a long time, since well before Star had been born. Captain TickTock had been their commander the entire time, and they had always thought he had done his best in the position. Hell, he had developed a reputation for really caring for the men under his command, for protecting them from the apathy and sometimes brutal commands of the Queen. But ever since the warlock arrived, they couldn't help but notice that all the men most loyal to the Queen were the ones sent on pointless, doomed attacks against the warlock. They couldn't help but notice that the remaining men, when they were not openly hostile and resentful towards the monarchs, were much more loyal to Captain TickTock than anyone else.

And there was much else that made little sense. When Star had first gone to live with the Diaz's, the sergeant, being her former babysitter, had done as much of a background check on them as he could. And, true, while that had failed to unearth Mr. Diaz's past as a warlock, nothing about him - or his son - seemed to be bloodthirsty or murderous. In fact, the sergeant had once overheard the Princess on a call to her father, the King, talking about Marco. The way she had described him, he thought that she might be getting a bit of a crush on the boy, so the sergeant had taken it upon himself to do some extra-careful observation of Marco. Everything about the boy had seemed genuine.

And if Mr. Diaz was a warlock bent on the destruction of Mewni, why had he waited until his family was arrested to pursue this goal? Surely he had to know the power of the wand Star held. He must have had a thousand opportunities, while she was living there, to kill her and take the wand, if he really wanted to. Then he could have gone on a rampage across the dimensions that the universe would remember for eons. But he hadn't done anything of the sort. So why would he kill Star NOW?

"You know," said the Corporal, interrupting the sergeant's thoughts, "After that mess in the throne room, I saw Captain TickTock sneaking off with the boy. Went into a little secret passage, he did. I know where it leads, though. Down into the dungeons."

The sergeant pondered this. "Now, that is odd. If I were Captain TickTock, and a ruthless bastard - and you know he is - then I would have that boy right out on the field with a sword to his neck. Let the warlock know that if he attacks, his son bites it." The sergeant spat. "Very odd indeed." He grabbed his corporal by the arm. "Here's what I want you to do, soldier. You make your way down into those dungeons and get that boy. You keep his face covered, and you bring him to me."

"What are you going to do, Sarge?"

The sergeant considered, snorted, spat, and pulled his helmet down onto his head. "I'm going to be bringing my platoon right up next to the King and Queen. Fuck what the robot says."

From just outside the city walls, an orange glow was growing ever-brighter. The wind was howling, and the skies had grown completely dark. The warlock was almost upon them. "MARCH!" cried the King, and the assembled army began making their way towards the castle gates.

"Hurry, corporal," said the sergeant, as he began maneuvering his men into position.

***************************************************

The King led the march through the streets to the city gates. As soon as he left the sanctuary of the castle, he was shocked by the throngs of dirty peasants that rushed forward, screaming obscenities. The burning eye in the sky cast odd shadows, their faces seemed contorted into something inhuman by their rage. They pelted him with rocks, and if it weren't for the guards around him, might have pulled him from his steed.

The King was by no means an arrogant sort of monarch, but his daughter's death left him with little patience for this sort of thing, especially as a warlock was about to descend upon the city. He raised his club and began bludgeoning the peasants that crowded around him. "OUT OF THE WAY!" he roared. "OUT OF THE WAY OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

The crowd thinned, some fled, but most stayed to harass them. The screams were already almost as loud as battle. There were people on the rooftops of buildings, pelting the procession with rocks and worse. The King noticed, with some fear, that more than a few of the peasants were carrying weapons. "Sire," said a guard next to him, a giant brute with two scars across his face, "This...this is bad. We should fall back to the castle. Make the warlock come to us there."

"NO!" roared the King, bloodlust taking him. "This man killed my daughter. I will see him SUFFER!"

The King pressed forward, trampling through the crowd, towards the city gates. Above the streets, the Queen flew, glowing blue wings framed against a black sky. 

* * *

Mr. Diaz bore down on the city like a dark meteor. Beneath him, an army of undead marched, walking impervious among the flames he summoned.

Queen Butterfly watched as he roared closer and closer. She had left behind the soldiers and her husband, flitting forward to perch upon the city wall, careless of who or what was around her. None of it mattered, anyway. The battle would be between her and this warlock. "So, this is the monster that killed my daughter," she said, coldly. As Mr. Diaz drew close, a giant roaring shadow bearing down upon her like death from the sky, she raised her wand and, in a flash of blue light, summoned a huge magical barrier in front of him.

Mr. Diaz crashed into it. There was a massive explosion of blue sparks and flame. When they cleared, Mr. Diaz was still coming, though he had slowed down a bit. There was no sign of the magical barrier. The Queen raised her eyebrows as the gigantic shadow, from somewhere within its depths, shot forth a green beam of light; she just managed to dodge it by taking off into the air. Instead, it hit the wall beneath her, blowing a massive hole into the city's defenses.

Darkness fell as Mr. Diaz roared into the air above the city, complete darkness, the darkest night. No stars lit the sky. The only light came from the gigantic burning eye, and the flames that roared beneath him. The Queen paid no attention to this. She had dealt with warlocks before. Her husband and soldiers could handle the undead. She wanted only one thing.

Suddenly, she saw him. He was a dark shadow, framed against the giant burning eye, two golden whirlpools of light for eyes, carrying a green wand that glowed with brilliant green magical energy. He was aiming the wand directly at her.

Snarling, the Queen raised her wand as well, blue light pouring from it, bright as the sun.

The dark sky lit up with blinding green and blue explosions as the two joined battle. 

* * *

Marco, with a quiet industriousness, had found a jagged corner of rock along the wall of his cell, and, keeping his movements as small as possible, had sawed through the ropes binding his hands and feet.

At some point, he had begun hearing the distant sound of explosions, echoing through the castle, strong enough to shake the walls of the dungeons, though they were certainly far underground. The two guards were nervous, Marco could tell. They kept glancing about themselves after each explosion and muttering nervously.

Suddenly, though he had made no sound approaching, there was a third guard there. This one was tall, thin, and shifty-looking, and strolled up to Marco's cell with a nonchalant confidence. "I'll be taking the prisoner, boys," he said. "Captain's orders."

"What?" said one of the guards. "Captain said he's to stay here."

"Captain changed his mind," said the thin guard simply.

"You got orders?"

The thin guard gave a theatrical sigh of exasperation. "The Captain is a bit busy to be writing out every single order he gives right now. Open the cell."

The two dungeon guards exchanged looks with each other. "No...look at him. He's one of the babysitter's boys," said one with contempt.

"Well, no one can say I didn't try," said the tall, thin guard. In a flash, he clubbed one of the dungeon guards over the head. The other dungeon guard had managed to draw his sword when the tall, thin man grabbed his head and slammed it repeatedly against the wall.

"Who are you?" asked Marco, as the tall guard grabbed the cell keys from the belt of one of the unconscious soldiers.

"I'm Corporal Stout. I know, name doesn't really fit me, does it?" Stout stood up, swinging the keyring around one of his long, slender fingers, studying Marco. "You know, Sarge told me all about you. You never struck me as a killer."

"I'm NOT," shouted Marco. "I don't know what's going on, but your captain is lying about everything. Star isn't even dead! At least...that's what he told me."

"That so?" said Corporal Stout. "That's very, very interesting." Corporal Stout continued talking as he unlocked the cell. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to bring you out there where the battle is. I'm willing to bet your pa will stop as soon as he sees me with a sword to your neck. Then we can-"

Here, Corporal Stout slid open the cell doors. Marco had been holding his hands and feet together with the ropes over them, feigning that he was still bound. As soon as the door open, he burst forth with a sudden surge of adrenaline, flying past the soldier. "HEY!" cried Stout, in shock, grabbing in vain at the empty air behind Marco.

Marco sprinted as fast as he could, heading for the stairs. He looked behind him. Stout might be tall and thin, but he was also wearing full armor, and Marco was easily leaving him behind. Marco's eyes widened as Stout suddenly pulled out a dagger from his belt and flung it at him. He cried out in pain as the dagger sliced open his shoulder, but then he was bounding up the stairs, into the darkness, leaving Stout behind.


	24. Chapter 24

Star had found a spell in Mr. Diaz's book that was somewhat useful, one that summoned undead unicorns. She, Mrs. Diaz, and Janna had been riding these horrific steeds at full gallop across the burnt wasteland left behind by Mr. Diaz, but had never managed to catch up to him before he reached the city. Now, they drew to a stop atop a hill looking down at the Mewnian city, watching the humongous battle raging at the front gates, while Mr. Diaz and the Queen dueled in the sky, illuminating the ground below with flashes of green and blue.

"We're too late," whispered Star, surveying the carnage. She was about to take off at a gallop towards the battle when Janna caught her arm.

"Star, we can't ride into that," she said. "What would we even do? What's our plan here?"

"We...we have to get to my mom!" replied Star. In actuality, she wasn't all that sure what the plan was. "We'll ask her if she killed Marco. When she says no, Mr. Diaz will stop attacking!"

Mrs. Diaz looked skeptical. "And...uh...is that your mother in the sky?" she said, pointing at the blue light that her husband was currently launching a massive fireball at.

"Yeah, look, she's right over the battle. Oh wait, now she's over the church district. Oh wait, now she's over the castle," said Star, as her mother flitted back and forth over the city, dodging magical blasts. "Look, all we have to do is get down there and get her attention."

"Well, okay," said Janna, "But I don't think it's a good idea to ride right into THAT," said Janna, pointing at the battle at the front gates, where flaming undead were swarming over piles of corpses, while howling guardsmen, mad with bloodlust and adrenaline, hacked and slashed at them. "Is there another way into the city?"

Star considered this. "There is!"

She wheeled her undead unicorn around and began leading Janna and Mrs. Diaz to the eastern gate, away from the battle. I can fix this, Star thought. I'll find Marco, I'll stop Mr. Diaz, this will all end, everything will be okay.

It had to be. 

* * *

Captain TickTock stood atop the bell tower of Mewni's cathedral, watching the carnage of the was difficult to see in the total darkness, but enough buildings were burning that the battle could be seen from here.

As soon as the warlock had arrived and begun blowing holes in Mewni's walls, Captain TickTock had ordered his loyal guards to attack the King. In addition, the revolting peasants had been ordered to attack as well, while, at the same time, undead skeletons had had begun pouring through the holes in the wall. TickTock had expected the King to go down quickly, but apparently some loyal guards had made their way to him somehow, and were fighting tooth and nail for survival. The King was in fine form, as well, roaring, swinging his massive club around, clearing entire streets with one mighty blow. In the horror and din of battle, some of the undisciplined peasants had panicked, and were now attacking the undead, or attacking the traitor Guard, although they were all on the same side. TickTock shrugged. It barely mattered. The forces arrayed against the monarchs were overwhelming.

He turned his lamplight eyes to the skies, where the warlock and the Queen were flitting back and forth, a blot of darkest shadow and a nimbus of blue light, launching massive spells at each other that lit up the night sky like fireworks. Captain TickTock couldn't really say who was winning up there, but he intended to change that.

He glanced back into the bell tower. He had five of the finest archers in the guard there, all men loyal to him of course. The robot picked up a spear, one of three leaning against the wall, and motioned for the men to take up their arrows. "Begin firing after I throw," he said.

Then he leaned out of the window, spear against his shoulder, waiting for an opportune moment. The blue nimbus of the queen flitted back and forth, dodging dazzling green bolts of energy that landed in the city with huge explosions. Captain TickTock waited, waited, waited - There!

He flung the spear at the Queen. A volley of arrows followed. 

* * *

The Queen dodged a giant green bolt of energy fired from the warlock's wand, her wings fluttering as she flitted off to the side. The shadow whirled with a roar and sent three massive snakes of flame racing towards her. The Queen summoned a wall of ice and the snakes crashed into it, melting it in a burst of steam.

This warlock was probably the most powerful the Queen had faced, but he was flagging, she could tell. None could stand before the might of the wand. He was in a blind rage that fueled his power, but made his attacks wilder, and he was burning himself out. The Queen would continue countering him, making opportunistic attacks, keep her composure, and then, when the warlock was spent, she would unleash all the bottled up rage she had from the death of her daughter. It took discipline to maintain herself. She wanted nothing more than to pour all her magic, all her strength at the shadow until he was erased from existence. But if she fought like that, she might lose. Such was the price of control.

The warlock soared up into the night sky above her and began launching humongous green bolts of energy at her that exploded, taking out entire blocks, when she dodged them. She was low, close to the ground now, putting as much distance between herself and the warlock as possible. The Queen smirked, seeing an opening, and raised her wand -

And then a spear, traveling through the air so fast it hummed, tore a hole through one of her wings. The Queen screamed, beginning to fall, struggling to stay aloft. Her wing was torn, but if she flapped them faster, she could still stay airborne -

She just managed to summon a protective blue sphere around herself as one of the warlock's bolts of hellish flame enveloped her. Small tinking sounds alerted her to the fact that people were firing arrows at her from the ground, as well. She couldn't tell where the fire was coming from. She healed her wings with a wave of her wand and dismissed the blue sphere. No sooner had she done that than another spear came whistling through the dark, this time striking her in the stomach and exiting out her shoulder, tearing off one wing entirely as it did so. It had been thrown with such force that it completely exited her body and continued sailing off into the night, trailing an arc of her blood behind it.

The Queen plummeted from the sky, smashing through the roof of a building, landing broken and shattered on the top floor. Breath ragged, burning with pain, the Queen healed herself with a flash of blue light. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling that she had fallen through, and it looked as if the entire sky was flame.

A massive fireball, launched by the warlock, crashed into the building she had fallen through. The Queen summoned a protective sphere around herself, but it could not withstand the severity of the explosion. It cracked and collapsed. For a few moments, the Queen's entire world was flame as she was tossed and battered. When, at last, the world made sense again, she was laying on her back in the rubble of the building. And the entire sky was winged shadow as, framed against the hellish burning eye, the warlock hurtled down towards her, his eyes hypnotic molten gold, his smile needle-sharp fangs lit by hellish light pouring from his throat, green wand lifted high above his head, blazing, this was it, she was going to die, he was coming too fast, he was going to tear her apart, she was too weak, too broken to lift the wand, oh god the roar, the noise, she was going to die in horror -

The Queen just barely managed to lift her wand in time, pouring all the energy she could summon into a magical blast that took the warlock in the chest, sending him hurtling backwards hundreds of feet, smashing into the wall of a building that immediately collapsed on top of him. The Queen sobbed with relief. Maybe that had killed him. But she couldn't be sure. She tried moving, and found that she couldn't. Her wand sputtered with blue light as she tried to summon the energy to heal herself.

Suddenly, in the darkness, there were two yellow, glowing lights. The Queen moaned in terror, thinking it was the warlock again, but as they came closer to the burning rubble surrounding her, she saw it was only her Guard Captain. "TickTock," she croaked. "Oh...thank god. Warlock...send men..."

Captain TickTock cocked his head to the side, regarding the broken form of the Queen coldly. Then, quicker than her eye could follow, he slammed his metal foot down onto her hand, the one that was holding the wand. The Queen screamed as she felt her bones shatter, the wand falling from her grasp, clattering against the ground. "What are you doing?!" she gasped, reaching out for the wand with her good hand. With a contemptuous sneer, Captain TickTock kicked her away, sending her slamming into a pile of rubble.

A crowd had gathered. Some of TickTock's guardsmen, and some of the revolting peasants that had fled the battle, were watching the Captain, staring in awe at the broken Queen, the woman that had ruled over them all for so long, the royal family that had been in place for generations.

TickTock, drawing himself up, bent and picked up the wand. In his hand, it transformed, becoming a cold steel rod with a metal cube at the end, surrounded by a huge, ticking gear. The metal cube cracked, and from it wormed a small, thorny rose.

"You stupid robot," said the Queen, barely conscious, "What are you doing?"

Captain TickTock smiled.


	25. Chapter 25 Mega update edition

**DIAZ PLAN FOR GRANDBABBIES UPDATE: EXTRA LONG FOR YOUR PLEASURABLE CLIMAX EDITION**

A long time ago, there had been a peaceful forest dimension, a world of lush green, fields of vibrant flowers, and endless shady paths. A paradise, some would call it. The most intelligent inhabitants of this dimension were a race of fae that were bound closely to nature, so much so that they seemed part plant. Beautiful, tall, thin, graceful men and women, with flowers blooming in their hair, or wound around with vines, or legs and hands that ended in rough bark. And these fae took care of the forests, and most importantly, tended to the Tree of Life, the massive, ancient tree that, legend told, held their world together.

It was to this world that the current Queen Butterfly came, as a child (PRINCESS Butterfly, at the time), to learn magic, from these very magically inclined fae. She was placed under the tutelage of one of their royalty, Prince Maedoc. From the moment she had stepped foot in their dimension, Maedoc had been wary of her. "Pleased to meet you, Prince Mydick," had been her first words to him.

The Princess soon proved to be a destructive terror. No matter the tutelage Maedoc had given her, her spells had wreaked havoc - forest fires, plagues of leaf-eating beetles, root rot. And the power of the wand she held meant that these disasters only got worse as time wore on. But no matter the pain she caused, she would simply laugh at him. "Get over it, Prince MadDork."

It wasn't long before Maedoc had put in a request that she be taken back to her dimension. The day she left, she had insisted on trying a particularly difficult and complex spell. Maedoc had wanted to forbid it. But he figured, she would be leaving that afternoon. Might as well not fight her on it. Just give her what she wants until she's gone. He had given her the go-ahead.

Moments later, Prince Maedoc was on his knees, watching in shock and horror as the Tree of Life burned down, as the fae tried, in vain, to combat the inferno. The Princess had approached him, honest remorse written all over her face, for once. "I am so, so sorry, Prince Michael," she had said, giving him a hug. "I'll have my parents send a new tree or something."

Prince Maedoc had just looked at her, dumbfounded, as a portal opened, and she slipped through, leaving his dimension.

That day, the Tree of Life had burned down. And deep in the ground beneath it, where its roots had dug deep, something awful had been living. The forests of Maedoc's world grew sickly, weak, began to die. He watched as his people withered, fell ill, and died off. All calls to the Butterfly royal family went unanswered.

In their desperation, the mages of Maedoc's court turned to Machine Magic, a long-scorned practice on his world. The horror that had lain beneath the Tree of Life was contained within a massive, mechanical dome. But still that did not stop the forests of his world from dying, and the fae with them. Finally, the mad mage Cessyl had come up with a plan to keep his people alive: implant the remaining fae within magical mechanical bodies.

Maedoc had given the reluctant order that had seen the forests of his world replaced with massive factories for the creation of these mechanical bodies, had seen his beloved trees chopped down for fuel. He had personally resisted the conversion for as long as possible, but in the end it was inevitable, as the flowers in his hair began to dry up and his vines turned black, he had been, himself, placed within one of these mechanical bodies, the most intricate, grand one the mad mage Cessyl could design.

But even this was not a real solution. Their entire world now a smoky haze of factories, concrete and steel, and all they had purchased was a temporary reprieve. For they still could not reproduce. Without the forests, without the tree of life, these fae could have no new children. They still lived long lives, well over a thousand years. But after the current generation died off, there would be no more fae. And their world would be an empty, dead one.

So Maedoc had begun his travels across the dimensions, looking for solutions to save his people. At first, he had thought that perhaps if his people could bond to plant life on a new world, that would save them. And for some of his people, it worked. They could bind to new plant life, on new worlds. But they still could not reproduce. Without the restoration of the Tree of Life on their original world, they were still barren. And many others could not forget the memory of the beautiful forests of their home, and could not bind to these new plants. And more troubling still, many others simply had lost the desire to leave their machine bodies.

Maedoc traveled for years, looking for a way to restore the Tree of Life. But nothing had seemed to have the power.

Until he had met her again.

Princess Butterfly, now Queen Butterfly, with the King at her side. Holding that wand of hers. He had thought it was powerful before. But now that he saw it wielded with more competence, he realized how powerful it truly was. Still, the mad mage Cessyl had told him, it would require the destruction of the wand to restore the Tree of Life. Maedoc had no problem with that. He was quite convinced the Butterfly family did not deserve to be holding a wand of such power, anyway.

But how to take it from her? Maedoc had an army of his machine-people he could use, if he bothered to summon them from his homeworld dimension, but he was loathe to pit their limited numbers against the wand's limitless magic, when he wasn't sure at all if he'd be successful.

So he formed a plan. He was on a necromancer's world at the time. The Queen and King were battling a horde of undead. He had contrived some way to show off his prowess in battle to them - one thing could be said about the mechanical bodies, they were fast and strong - and then he had introduced himself to them. The Queen showed no sign of recognizing him.

He called himself TickTock. 

* * *

His original plan had simply been to worm his way into their graces to steal the wand. But it wasn't long before he learned that the Queen was incredibly paranoid about the security of the wand, never letting go of it. It made sense. It was the most powerful wand in the universe. He was not the only one who wanted it.

He had, sometimes, tried to make common cause with other would-be wand thieves. But they were megalomaniacal to a fault, always wanting the wand for themselves. So, ironically, he found himself foiling their plots to steal the wand. His constant evaluation of the wand's safety had made him very good at detecting threats toward it, so he was more likely than most to detect plots to steal it and foil them. This eventually netted him the position of Guard Captain.

Although his primary goal had always been to get the wand, being in close proximity to Queen Butterfly had awakened within him a black hatred that he didn't know existed. Yes, he had always hated her, hated what she had done to his world. But seeing her every day, taking orders from her, this monster who had bought his people to the brink of extinction, had twisted him in ways he hadn't predicted. His plans expanded. He no longer simply wanted the wand. He wanted her to suffer. He wanted her world to suffer like his had. He wanted to see her face as her world died and her wand turned to dust in his hands.

He used his position as Guard Captain to slowly turn the men against her. Yes, it would take a while, but what were a couple of decades to him? He began planting seeds of dissent among the peasants through proxies. They found fertile ground. Slowly, TickTock began maneuvering for a coup. But he had always lacked something that could counter the power of the wand.

When Star was first born, he had originally been filled with dark thoughts of glee at how, one day, he might butcher her in front of her mother, to her endless despair. But it was difficult to watch something grow and not become at least a little attached to it. As a small child, she had been simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the mechanical Guard Captain, staring at him with wide eyes, then hiding behind her mother's skirts.

TickTock had tried his best to keep his distance from her. He didn't need this sort of attachment. But it had been so long since he had seen a child grow. Finally, he had given in, and given her a wooden play sword as a gift. From that moment on she had always greeted him with a smile. He kept a rose garden in the castle that she would help him tend sometimes. He had been the one to show her the secret passages in the castle walls. When she had been going through her troublemaking phase with Flying Princess Pony Head, he had always been awake to greet her with a wink and a nod as she snuck back into castle grounds. When she broke up with Tom, he had sardonically suggested an invasion of Hell, eliciting a small smile from her as she cried. Without any children of his own race, he had found himself treating Star with affection.

When Star had been sent to earth, he had tried to put away some of the darker thoughts of his revenge. His takeover of the Guard and threat of peasant revolution were nearly complete. With the wand away on earth, it would be much easier to overthrow the monarchy. His plan, then, had been to take down the King and Queen, and ransom their lives to Star for the wand. He would banish them from the dimension, confiscate their dimensional scissors, and put away all thoughts of murdering them. He would heal his world and leave the de-powered Butterfly family alone.

But then this business with the warlock had happened, and Queen Butterfly had taken back the wand. He had thought all his plans undone, for a while. The revolution was happening soon - he could not put it off for another five years or so, which is how long he figured it might be before the Queen let Star touch the wand and go to another dimension again.

But then he had figured out how powerful the warlock was, and decided it was still a good time to roll the dice. A powerful magic ally, and as an added bonus, he could order all the guards that were still loyal to the Queen directly into death at the warlock's hands. The only problem was getting the warlock and the Queen to actually fight each other. He had given Star the means to escape her room and rescue Mrs. Diaz, even drugging the guards that had been guarding the warlock's wife, figuring that once her hostage and her daughter were gone, the Queen would NEED to attack. But her husband had convinced her of the possibility of a diplomatic solution.

So TickTock thought of something that would preclude any possibility of diplomatic resolution: Convince the Queen that the warlock had killed her daughter.

TickTock, when he went out hunting for Star, had never actually intended to kill her. If he wanted to do that, he could have cut her down the minute he saw her in the farmhouse, or spiked her head like a lolipop when he threw the pitchfork at her. He wanted to capture her, keep her somewhere in the woods, and tell her mother she was dead. Unfortunately, the warlock's son had unexpectedly shown up. Although that had been turned to his advantage, too. There was no way the Queen and the Warlock would find a peaceful solution when they BOTH thought the other had killed their child. Sure, Star had escaped, but even if she showed up, it wouldn't stop the Warlock's blind rage. 

* * *

And now, all his plans had come to fruition. TickTock stood, holding the wand, feeling its power.

"TICKTOCK! YOU IDIOT ROBOT, PUT DOWN MY WAND!" screamed the Queen, her voice hoarse, panicky.

Her husband, who had fought like a madman through the throng of enemies to come to her side when he saw her fall from the sky, rushed to her side as the air around TickTock began to hum with power, lifting pebbles from the ground. "My love!" he cried, cradling her, then peered at TickTock. "What's the robot doing with the wand?"

TickTock smiled, then raised the wand, pointing it at the King and Queen. When he used its magic, he could almost smell the sweet forest breeze of his home on the air. Oh god, it had been so long.

Thick rose vines burst forth from the rubble beneath the King and Queen, curling around their wrists, lifting them into the air, bringing them face-to-face with TickTock. "Your Highnesses," he said, "As I have told you countless times before. I. AM. NOT. A. ROBOT." With each word, the rose vines constricting around the King and Queen tightened, thorns digging into their skin. With a whirring of gears and a hiss of steam, TickTock's faceplate fell back, revealing the handsome, but sickly, face of the fae beneath it. "Do you recognize me, my Queen?"

Queen Butterfly winced, squinted down at the Guard Captain. "Prince M...M...Meghan?" she said, incredulously.

Maedoc stared at her, impassive. Finally, the faceplate clicked back into place, hiding his true form again. "It's okay, Queen Butterfly," he hissed, "Once I'm done here, there won't be anyone left to remember your name either. This world belongs to me and my people, now. You don't deserve it. You certainly don't deserve an all-powerful wand to go along with it."

"Who's that?" asked the King. The Queen responded with a groan and a roll of her eyes.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over them. Mr. Diaz was there, a towering darkness. The crowd of peasants and guards that had gathered around screamed and fled. "I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE TO KILL HER, ROBOT," he said, in a voice that seemed like it could turn bones to dust.

"Sir," said TickTock, not even bothering to brandish his wand, "Your son is not dead. He's safe and sound, and will be returned to you once I'm done here."

"Marco...he's alive?" And just like that, the shadows fled; Mr. Diaz was just a man again. The sky turned from pitch black to merely dusk, and the burning eye taking up most of the sky shrunk to a much more reasonable size. Mr. Diaz himself was battered and bruised, but otherwise not much worse for wear. "But...I thought you had executed him," he said, to the Queen.

"No," the Queen said, wincing as the vines holding her constricted ever tighter. "Though I should have, after you killed...my..." She trailed off, and then groaned again, glaring at TickTock. "My daughter was never dead, was she?"

"Oh no, she is," replied TickTock, relishing the fresh grief on her face. "I made sure she died screaming."

"MOM! DAD!" cried Star, having just arrived on the scene with Janna and Mrs. Diaz.

"Well that spoiled my fun," TickTock said, as Star jumped off her undead Unicorn and rushed forward to stand between him and her parents. Janna and Mrs. Diaz trotted their mounts over to stand by Mr. Diaz. The young princess glared up at him. So brave of her, he thought.

"Uncle TickTock, what are you doing?" she shouted, stamping her foot. She even had a warhammer in her hand, as if she planned on fighting him. He couldn't help but admire her.

"Well, Queen?" TickTock snapped, glancing over Star's shoulder. "Would you like to tell your daughter how you destroyed my world? Or should I?"

"You...what?" Star looked back at her mother. "Mom? What is he talking about?"

"You'll never get away with this, TickTock," snarled Queen Butterfly, ignoring the question. "My men-"

Captain TickTock roared with laughter. "Your men? You have none left. It's been quite a bloody battle. I bow to you, Sir, for your aid," he said, bowing to Mr. Diaz with a flourish, "And I apologize for the necessity of my deception in leading you to think your son was dead. Without you, I'd never be able to get proper justice."

Mr. Diaz glanced around nervously. "Listen...I don't know what's going on. Just...give me my son."

"Soon enough." Captain TickTock turned to the Queen again. "What few men there are left," he said, as he cast his hand across the small crowd that had been gathering around them again, "Belong to ME."

"Tha's right!" cried out one of the peasants, brave enough to speak up. "Long Live King TickTock! He's gonna help us build a better world!" Others, traitor guards and peasants, took up a tentative cheer.

"Mmm." TickTock gave an odd smile. With a flick of the wand, a small vine reached into the Queen's pockets, retrieving a pair of dimensional scissors, dragging them over so the robot could grasp them. "It's true, I will build a better world." And with a flourish, he opened two dimensional portals, on his left and his right. Marching out of them came rows and rows of steam-powered robots, very similar to himself, though much smaller and somewhat more crude-looking. Each carried a loaded crossbow, each had a sword at its side. "But I wouldn't be much of a monarch if I let a bunch of treasonous guards and peasants who deposed their own King and Queen live. No, I think the world will be better off without you."

The crowd screamed and began fleeing as the robot army marched forward, launching crossbow bolts. Screams of pain and terror filled the night.

Star grabbed onto TickTock's arm, pleading with him. "Uncle TickTock, STOP!" Tears were filling her eyes. "I...I don't know what my mom did, but we can fix it! It doesn't have to be like this, please stop killing people!"

TickTock gently shrugged Star's hands from his arm, casually opening a third portal behind him as he did so. "Princess," he said, "This world belongs to me now. But I am not without mercy. You - and your father, since he had no part in it - can go live with the Diaz's. But your mother will stay here to watch her people die, just as I had to watch mine die. And then she will face justice as well."

"NO!" screamed Star, struggling against his grip. "NO! I'm not going to let you kill my mom!"

"This is not a negotiation, Princess. This is what is happening."

Mrs. Diaz and Janna clung close to as they stared in horror at the slaughter taking place. Robots were cutting down battle-worn guards and peasants in the streets. Thick vines were erupting from the earth, tearing apart buildings, rapidly replacing the city with a tangled forest. "Maybe...uh...there could be some sort of trial?" called Mr. Diaz, unsure of what to do.

"No," said TickTock. "No trials. I hold all the power here."

Star set her feet apart in front of him, lifting the warhammer she had picked up. "If you won't stop," she sniffed, "Then I'm going to have to fight you."

TickTock sighed and tucked the dimensional scissors deep within his cloak, then pointed his wand at Star, preparing to disable her. 

* * *

Marco gasped, breath ragged, as he ran through the Mewnian castle. It was completely dark, and he tripped and fell over almost everything in his way. The only light there had been in the castle had been coming from the blue and green explosions in the sky, but even those had stopped now.

He reached back to feel at the wound on his shoulder, expecting to feel the cloak wet with blood. He was astonished to find that the cloak seemed dry, and what's more, clean, no dried blood at all. He tugged at the cloak, and it seemed almost stuck to his shoulder. And suddenly he was aware of a sucking sensation. The cloak was sucking the blood from the wound at his shoulder.

"Great," he grumbled to himself. "More blood magic. Thanks, crazy Warlock Dad. A cloak that sucks your blood, that's useful. Why couldn't it be something more pleasant?"

He stumbled through the castle, looking for an exit. Finally, he found one, a large front door that had been left open. He sprinted out into the streets. He had no idea what was happening, but he had to find his father. Maybe even the Queen, to tell her Star wasn't dead.

He sprinted through the streets as fast as he could, muscles burning, lungs burning, heading towards the flames. He figured that would probably be where the battle was, where his father would be.

Suddenly he heard the sound of a crowd screaming, and the ground beneath him erupted into thick, thorny vines. Roses bloomed and showered petals all around him. He leapt over the vines, dodging the thorns as best he could, vaguely aware of people running, screaming past him. He stumbled, fell into the street, and looked up -

And there, maybe forty feet away, was Star, facing down the robot, standing in front of three different dimensional portals, from two of which marched a steady stream of yet more robots. TickTock held the wand, pointing it straight at the Princess. Behind her, the King and Queen were held up, tangled in painful-looking thorn bushes. And there was his dad, off to the side, arms protectively shielding his mother and Janna from the chaos and the slaughter around him.

It was as if time slowed down. Marco watched in horror as the wand the robot held began to crackle with magic, while Star slowly began to swing a warhammer. TickTock's cold, impassive face betrayed no emotion. He was going to kill Star, and there was nothing Marco could do about it. He was too far away to get there in time -

And all of a sudden the cloak was carrying him, flinging him through the darkness on long dark legs that sprouted from the black lining, sending him hurtling toward the robot. Marco had time to be baffled before he crashed into TickTock.

"Marco?!" cried Star, as he slammed into TickTock, a split second before the robot could cast whatever spell he had planned. The cloak Marco was wearing was fluttering, dark claws reaching out from beneath it, scratching at TickTock. The robot was thrown off-balance, stumbled backwards...and fell into the dimensional portal behind him. With a yell, Star grabbed on to Marco, to try to yank him back, and instead found herself dragged into the dimensional portal as well.

Mr. Diaz, seeing his son disappear through the portal, lunged forward with a roar, flames slicing through the robots in his way, but before he could reach it, it disappeared. 

* * *

Star and Marco landed in a heap on a cold metal surface, the walls surrounding them full of rattling pipes and pounding pistons. Captain TickTock landed a few feet away.

The wand clattered to the floor between them. Star lunged for it. She saw TickTock's eyes widen with shock, saw his hand move so quick it was nothing but a blur, but by some miracle, she reached it first. In her hand, it transformed from TickTock's cold steel wand into her familiar form.

Captain TickTock gave a shrill, metallic roar, and the next thing she knew his sword was in his hand, raised high above his head, and reacting on pure instinct, she shot a blast of rainbow energy at his chest, sending him slamming through a wall, tearing apart a thick pipe. He disappeared in a cloud of steam.

She panted, dropping the wand. Then she heard Marco groan, and she ran to him, embracing him. "MARCO! I'm so glad you're okay, I thought you were dead, oh my god-"

Marco's hands cradled her face. "I thought YOU were dead! I-"

"Marco why-"

"Star-"

Their reunion was interrupted by a click-clacking sound - TickTock's metal feet on the floor around them - and a hearty chuckle. "Fond of each other, are we?"

Star raised her wand, and Marco took her back, but neither of them could see TickTock. He was either hidden in the steam, or somewhere in the labyrinth of machinery around them, the almost endless tangle of gears, pipes, pistons, grating, and vents hissing steam. "Where are we?" Marco said, confused, as they backed down a hallway, warily looking around them.

"This is my world. Or what's left of it." TickTock's voice almost seemed to be coming from above them. Star looked up, but all she could see was ticking gears. "This all used to be lush, beautiful forest. Until your mother ruined it, Star."

"Listen, TickTock...I don't know what my mother did, but I promise you I'll help you fix it. Please." Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes, and a knot in her throat. "I don't want to fight you."

"Then don't. Give me the wand."

"No! Just let me use the wand to HELP you."

"The only thing that would help," said TickTock, his voice now seeming to echo all around them, "Is if your family was relieved of that wand forever. Your mother destroyed the Tree of Life, the very thing holding my world together. To rejuvenate it, the wand is going to need to be completely drained. Its power is immense, but not infinite."

"There has to be another way to help you," said Marco. "Work with us, here."

"Even if there were," hissed TickTock, as the pipes around them rattled and shook, "I would never allow the Butterfly family to hold on to that wand. They are far too irresponsible to hold on to something that could destroy worlds. You should be THANKING me, boy. Does Star seem like she's responsible enough to hold on to that kind of power? What do you think the chances are that she'd eventually destroy YOUR world?"

Marco opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it, then shut it again. Then he looked at Star sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry, but you do seem...KINDA irresponsible?"

"Well, I'm not going to give you the wand," said Star, glaring at Marco.

"Then I'll just have to take it." It was almost as if TickTock was whispering right in her ear.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Like this," and suddenly one of the pipes next to them burst, blinding them with steam, and then TickTock's lantern eyes were looming in the cloud, and Star felt Marco push her back with a shout, and there was the hum of metal swinging through air and slicing through flesh, and then something warm hit her face, oh god was it blood-

Star raised her wand and dispersed the steam with its brilliant light. When it was gone, TickTock was nowhere to be seen. But Marco lay on the ground, gasping, a deep gash in his chest bubbling out bright red blood, and his blood was everywhere, all over her. Star dropped to her knees with a sob.

"Now that is a nasty wound. Little bugger jumped right in front of me." TickTock's voice carried to her through the whirring gears and pistons. "I hope you bothered to study some healing spells, Princess. I've seen men die from wounds like that within seconds."

Marco was gasping for air, staring straight up at the ceiling, blood pouring out of him at an alarming rate. "Oh god, please don't die, please don't die, please don't die," Star whispered, as she cast the only healing spell she knew.

The light from her wand sank into the wound. When it faded, the gash was still there, but it wasn't nearly as deep, and it wasn't spurting blood. Marco stopped gasping for breath, and then looked at her and gave a wan smile. "Thanks, Star-"

She slapped him. "Don't thank me!" she was half-laughing, half-crying. "Don't get yourself killed, you idiot!"

She helped Marco to his feet. He was able to stand, but it was obvious his wound still hurt. He clutched at it with one hand, and could only walk slowly. Star held his hand as they continued walking forward, not wanting to leave him behind.

"You'd do anything for him, wouldn't you?" TickTock's voice wasn't mocking her, simply stating a fact.

"Star always has my back, and I always have hers," Marco said. "Why don't you show yourself?!"

"Because then I would lose," laughed TickTock, invisible, hidden among all the gears, steam and pistons of the walls. "On the other hand, if I do something like this - "

And then he leapt out of the wall next to Marco in a blur, slamming into him, grabbing him, ripping his hand from Star's. Star screamed in panic and blasted rainbow magic all around her, but she was too slow - TickTock had already grabbed Marco, screaming, into the labyrinth of pipes and gears that were the walls.

"Bring him back," cried Star, as Marco's shouts of panic echoed through the walls.

"Give me the wand," TickTock's voice came echoing back to her. "Or I'll cut your little friend's throat."

Star felt her heart drop into her stomach, then she took a deep, shuddering breath. "I...I don't believe you'd do that, Uncle TickTock."

"Oh no?"

And then Marco was screaming, screaming, and Star was screaming for it to stop, aiming her wand in random directions, blasting everything around her with rainbow magic, and each scream that Marco gave was a knife in her heart, and she was sobbing, begging for it to stop.

And then it did stop. "Your friend's face is going to have quite the nasty scar, now," came TickTock's voice, echoing down the walls. "That's okay, women love scars. Do you believe me now?"

Star wiped the tears from her eyes, clutching her head. She still couldn't get the sounds of Marco's screams out of her mind. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I'll give you the wand. Just please don't hurt him anymore."

"Good," said TickTock. "Walk forward. Through the door."

In front of Star was a large, thick steel door, made out of a series of humongous, intricately interlocked gears. As she approached, the gears whirred, the door disappearing with a smooth whispering sound.

The room beyond the door was a humongous, spherical chamber, at least five hundred feet tall, the walls lined with metal sheeting. The door led to a huge ledge that hung, suspended over the center of the sphere. At the end of this ledge stood Captain TickTock, cloak whipping around him in a stiff breeze, holding a limp Marco, whose face was covered with blood. Star gasped as she saw him.

As she approached, she noted that the entire chamber was lit with an unearthly purple glow. She peered over the edge. There, at the bottom of the sphere, bore into the earth, was a gigantic, squirming, purple...SOMETHING...with teeth, so many teeth, and so many bubbling, boiling eyes...

"Don't look too long, Princess," called TickTock. "It's been known to hypnotize people."

"What...what is this?" said Star, tearing her gaze away.

"This," said TickTock, "Is what your mother unleashed when she burned down our Tree of Life. This is what doomed our world. This is what I will banish when I revive our holy Tree. So my people can live again."

"But...what is it though?"

"Princess," Ticktock intoned darkly, "The dimensions hold more horror than you can possibly know. The wand."

Star stood, now, about ten feet from TickTock. She couldn't tear her eyes from Marco, the blood pouring from the gash on his face, the wound on his chest torn open from TickTock handling him roughly. "Is he okay?" she asked, and hated herself for whimpering.

TickTock gave her a sympathetic look. "He'll be fine with a little rest and medical care, Princess. Now, the wand."

"How do I know you won't just kill him as soon as I give you the wand?"

TickTock looked hurt. "You can trust me, Star."

"No," Star said, pointedly, "I can't."

TickTock sighed, then produced the dimensional scissors, opening a portal besides him. "Walk forward," he said, "Holding the wand out. Once it is in my hand, step through the portal, while holding on to your friend here. And...then..." a horrible, terrifying noise was roaring from the portal, a thousand laughing whispers, a gibbering, mewling scream. "Oh no," he whispered.

And then Ferguson, that now-familiar nightmare, burst forth through the portal, squeezing through, snapping teeth and lolling tongues, smoke and horror, squeezing, branching, surging, crashing into TickTock, who screamed, screamed, screamed as they both went careening over the edge, flying down, crashing down towards the purple insanity at the bottom of the chamber, at the humongous creature with the bubbling, boiling eyes.

Star leapt forward and grabbed Marco before he could go flying over the edge with them, tackling him to the ground. She watched in shock as Ferguson coursed endlessly over them, teeth snapping inches from their faces. She dragged Marco's body through the portal, which deposited them into a thicket of thorns. She glanced back at the shrinking portal behind her, only to see her window into TickTock's world disappear with a blast of purple flame.

Laughing, exhausted, still terrified, Star collapsed, crying and laughing at the same time, on top of Marco's prone form.


	26. Chapter 26

Marco awoke to soft sunlight, tangled up in cool silk sheets in a humongous bed. The walls were the gray stone of Castle Mewni. His body ached all over, but it was a comfortable ache. Suddenly, he became aware that someone was holding him from behind, their breath warm on his back. He jumped up in shock and spun around, only to see Star, just waking up, her sleep interrupted by his movements.

"Hmmm...Marco? MARCO!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. She smelled sweet, like flowers. "You're awake!"

"Yeah...what happened?" Marco disengaged from her hug and looked down at his chest. There was an ugly, twisted scar there. "Also...why am I not wearing a shirt? Or pants?"

"Well, they were sort of covered in blood," said Star. She reached out with one hand and delicately touched his face, nervously flinching back when her fingers brushed his skin. Suddenly, Marco remembered what had happened before he had fallen unconscious: TickTock, dragging a blade deep against his face, so deep he could feel the blade scraping against bone -

Marco leapt out of the bed and ran to a mirror, examining the scar on his face. "Wow, it's not as bad as I thought it would be," he said, examining the light pink line that extended from his forehead, across the bridge of his nose, and down the corner of his lip.

"Well...I might have magicked away that scar a bit. TickTock actually almost sliced your face in two." Star cast her eyes down, squeezing her shoulders. Marco shuddered. "But I left some of it there. I thought you might want a scar to show off."

"Hmmmm...yeah, it looks...interesting. I like it!" Marco preened in front of the mirror. "Wait, where are my parents? Janna? Ferguson?"

"Ferguson...I...I honestly don't know. Your parents and Janna are back on earth," Star replied. She was staring at Marco with an intensity that almost made him uncomfortable. "You were actually out for a few days. Your parents agreed to leave you here - they figured that magical healing would be more than any hospital could do."

"I'm surprised they wanted to do that, after everything that's happened." Marco sat back on the edge of the bed. It felt good to be up and moving, but his muscles still ached.

Star laughed, and Marco could tell she was happy, genuinely happy. "That's the thing. After we fell through the portal, your dad helped save my mom and dad from the robots that TickTock summoned. If it wasn't for him, they would have been killed." She shrugged. "I think my mom is still a little wary of him, but it doesn't matter. She said I could go back!" She flung her arms around Marco again, and he fell back against the bed with her on top of him. "I can go back to living with you!"

"Really?" Marco laughed as Star hugged him tightly, nuzzling him.

"Yeah! My dad even said it might be good to have me living with a magic user. Someone who can make sure I don't do too much damage. I'm just glad I don't have to leave." Star was wearing a thin nightgown, and Marco could feel the heat of her body through it, pressing against his skin. Her face was inches from his. He could feel her heart fluttering, feel her chest rise and fall with each breath. "I thought I had lost you," she said, a tear suddenly rolling from one eye. "I thought I would never see you again...then I thought you were dead..." her hands trembled, clutching at his shoulders.

"I was worried too," said Marco, pulling her close, hugging her tight. Star gave out a little gasp. "I thought TickTock had killed you at one point."

Star's forehead was now touching his. He could feel her tears dripping from her eyes onto his face. Her breath was shaky, and she was trembling. "Please never leave again," she said, and then she was kissing him, and her lips tasted sweet, her hands were on his face, pulling him in to kiss him harder, and her body was pressing against his, and all Marco could think about was the feel of her skin on his and her lips on his.

When she broke off the kiss she was gasping, running her hands up and down Marco's back. He realized his hands had slipped under her nightgown, and were caressing the smooth skin of her back as well. His fingers trailed over the base of her wings and she gasped, pressing her hips down into him. She kissed him again, furiously, pressing her lips hard onto his. "Don't ever get yourself hurt for me ever again," she whispered into his ear when he was done.

"Well...I can't promise that," Marco whispered, holding her trembling against him. "I'll always look out for you. And I know you'll always look out for me." He trailed his hands up and down her back, enjoying the soft feel of her skin.

"I don't need you to die for me," she said, and he felt hot tears on his neck. "I just...I need YOU." She pulled back from him, straddling him, looking down at him. "I need you," she whispered, and then she pulled her nightgown above her head. She was wearing nothing beneath it. The light and shadow played across her creamy white skin, and even her breath was gorgeous, the way her body rose and fell. She leaned down and kissed Marco again, and he could feel her hot skin sliding across his, her hands exploring his body, tracing across his scars. Marco's hands were sliding across all her curves, squeezing, pinching, eliciting small gasps as Star kissed him over and over again, all the while babbling "I need you, I need you." Finally, her hands strayed down to his boxers. "Take them off," she said, demanding. "It's not fair that I'm the only one naked."

"Star...should we really do this?" Marco whispered. Her sweet blue eyes were filling up his entire vision.

Star laughed, yanking down Marco's boxers, her cool hand wrapping around him. "You're beautiful," she said. She guided one of his hands down between her legs. Marco felt the heat there, felt how wet she was. "I need you," she said again.

Marco pushed Star back down on the bed so he was on top of her. She gasped as he slid his fingers into her, arching her back, her hips rolling, pale skin flushing pink with excitement, moaning, gasping as he curled his fingers inside of her. Her eyes fluttered to the back of her head, and she grabbed him, kissing him, moaning into his mouth. "Enough," she gasped, then whispered, "I want you inside me."

She guided him inside her, trembling and gasping, pushing her hips forward when he was on the threshold. When he slid into her she arched her back and cried out, hands knotting the sheets, eyes staring off blankly into nothing, feeling him slide slowly in, shaking as her mind went blank. She felt him sliding in and out of her and wrapped her legs around him, pushing her hips against his, pushing him into her until it was almost painful, but she enjoyed the pain. She pulled Marco down to kiss him, and she enjoyed his weight on her, enjoyed the smell of his sweat, his small gasps. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him, and then as she felt the pleasure building up in her, the tension building in her body, she held him against her, her nails scratching his back, as she gasped and moaned his name in his ear.

Her mind was going blank, now. Her entire body was tensed, and all she could feel was Marco sliding in and out of her, the pleasure radiating through her body with each stroke. Her hips were grinding, pushing against his, her body arched, until it was too much, too much, and she threw her head back and cried out, her body shaking, rolling, her mind a fog. She could feel herself squeezing down on Marco as he was inside her, and when he came she cried out again, as a fresh wave of pleasure rolled through her. She pulled Marco in and kissed him as their bodies shook, moaning, gasping until the pleasure finally receded in her.

Afterwards they lay panting, sweat-soaked, laughing, kissing each other. "We...didn't use a condom," Marco said, bashfully.

"A what?"

"Uh...protection? Birth control? To keep you from getting pregnant?"

"Oh!" said Star, grabbing her wand from where it had lain, forgotten, tangled in the sheets. "Don't worry about that, I have a spell for that." With a flash of light, she tapped the wand against her stomach and shivered. "I'll only ever have babies when I want to." Then she turned to Marco and grinned. "So...wanna do it again?" 

* * *

Later, Star and Marco were strolling through the ruins of the Mewnian capital, carrying picnic baskets. They were trailed by a coterie of the remaining loyal guards, the ones who had fought beside the King, to protect them against any remaining revolutionary peasants.

The city, though, had been largely depopulated. Many of the revolutionaries had been people from outlying villages that had swarmed into the capital under TickTock's orders in the days leading up to the battle; when it became clear they had lost, they had fled screaming into the wilderness. Many had been rounded up by the loyal guard, and were now being used as labor to bury the mounds of bodies the battle had produced.

A good portion of the city still lay under a thick tangle of heavy vines, relics of TickTock's magic, from which sprouted a beautiful, amazing array of gorgeous, unearthly flowers. Still lying in the streets were the charred shells of some of TickTock's robot army, melted, fused into the pavement, victims of the hellfire of Marco's father. Many of them had clearly died fighting to the very end, outstretched arms still clutching swords.

At the city walls, Marco had to marvel at what his father had done. Huge, gaping, charred holes marred the wall, and piles of skeletons, no longer animated by his father's magic, were strewn about the ruins. Across the landscape, a massive black swath of burnt ground stretched for miles, trailing off to the Necromancer's tower in the far distance. "They're calling it The Scar," Star said, breaking Marco out of his reverie.

"I don't understand," Marco replied as he surveyed the destruction. "How can your parents be okay with sending you back with me after my father did all this?"

"Well, I mean, he did save them. In the end, most of the people he killed were just peasants that were planning on betraying my mother anyway." Star shrugged. "Plus...I...I think my mom kind of understood him, once she talked to him a bit. Understood why, if he thought he lost a child, why he might want to burn the whole world down."

They stepped across the ruins of the wall, out into the wilderness, giving The Scar a wide berth. They spread their picnic blanket in a field of flowers, a dozen yards from the woods. They sat and ate, watching the attending guards practice swordplay. Marco was ravenously hungry. He devoured sandwiches as Star poked fun at him, his body crying out for food, nourishment for healing.

Suddenly, one of the guards shouted, picking up his sword and pointing it to the woods. Star and Marco looked behind themselves and gasped.

Walking from the woods, hands up, was TickTock.

Only, it wasn't him, when they looked closer. This robot was more exotic looking. In place of TickTock's round lantern eyes, this one had three triangular beams of light. Where TickTock had been boxy, sturdy, strong, this robot was thin and tall, almost delicate looking, with spidery limbs, and where TickTock had moved with quick, ruthless, mechanical violence, this one moved with a fluid grace. It wore a voluminous, many-colored cloak, and a huge pointed hat. "Peace!" it cried. "Peace!"

Star lowered her wand. Marco had tried (and failed) to jump up quickly to do battle, but was too sore to move quickly; she gave him a glare and pushed him back down to the ground. "Careful!" she cried to the guards as they ran in front of her with swords ready, she knew how quick these robots could be. "Who are you?" she asked, addressing the robot.

The robot spread its hands and bowed. "I am the wizard Cessyl. Or, the 'mad mage', as my people were fond of calling me. I was at the battle a few days ago; when the tide turned, I fled." With a crooked smile, it shrugged. "I am also the last surviving member of the court of Prince Maedoc. I presume he's dead, since you hold the wand. I suppose that makes me royalty now."

"Should we smash this trash heap, Princess?" growled one of the guards. Cessyl gave him a nasty grin. Star noticed that he had a hefty spellbook at his hip, attached by a thick chain.

"No!" she shouted, startling the guard, and herself. "No. There's been enough magical shenanigans." She stepped forward, to address Cessyl. "What is it you want?"

"Well, first, I would like to know how my Prince died."

"He fell...into...whatever it was, there where your Tree of Life had been," replied Star. She glanced past Cessyl, nervously, wondering if there were any more robots that had escaped the battle.

Cessyl winced. "A...brutal way to go, I'm afraid. Ah well." He spread his hands and bowed deep. "And now, I would like to entreaty you for a couple of small favors."

"Why would the Princess do any favors for you?" growled the same guard as before, a burly brute with scars criss-crossing his face.

"It's true, she doesn't have to. Me and my people no longer have the numbers or the power to really compel favors from anyone. It's entirely up to the Princess's conscience whether she decides to help atone for the sins of her mother." Cessyl stared at Star, the three triangular beams of his eyes glowing green.

"What is it?" said Star warily.

"First," said Cessyl, "I have some of the survivors of my people with me. I ask for refuge in your world. Our numbers are too few to be any threat to you; we will stay hidden, secret, and never interfere with your rule. After the great losses we sustained in the battle, many are too tired and despondent to continue dimension-hopping. They want to settle and just live out the rest of their lives."

"Done," said Star.

"Your highness-" protested the guard.

Star squeezed his arm. "Just let them stay. They deserve SOMETHING after what my mother did to them. Please don't tell my mother about this, okay?"

The guard rolled his eyes, sheathed his sword, and crossed his arms. "Fine, Princess. I spoil you."

Cessyl reached into his robe and produced a large, polished brown ball, about the size of a basketball. "Second. This is a seed from the Tree of Life. The only one that we ever managed to save. We would have grown it, but it takes ten thousand years to reach maturity. We have long lives, but not that long. By the time it was full grown, our people would have already been dead." The robot reached into his robes and produced more, a sheaf of papers. "These," he said, "Are a set of experimental spells I developed to accelerate the growth of the Tree. If these are applied diligently, I believe that the Tree could be grown in as little as five hundred years. But the spells require a massive amount of magic." Cessyl's eyes flicked to the wand in Star's hand. "Like the wand. It won't drain it, like Prince Maedoc wanted to do. But it will take dedication." He knelt, and offered both the papers and the seed to Star. "Please, take these. Find a place to plant the tree. It's a long shot, but it's the last chance my people have to live."

"I...I don't know what to say," said Star, as the guards grabbed the seed and the papers for her. "Why would you trust my family with these things? Of all people?"

Cessyl stood and gave an odd little grin. "Well, if I may be perfectly frank, Princess. I don't trust you with them. In all honesty, I don't think you'll keep the dedication necessary to grow the tree. But you're the one with the wand, and I'm not going to doom the rest of my people to death in battle trying to get it from you." Here, the robot shrugged and looked off into the distance wistfully. "Truth is, I accepted that my people were doomed a long, long time ago. Maedoc never really did."

"What? I TOTALLY will," shouted Star. "I'm going to plant the CRAP out of this Tree." She poked Cessyl in his hollow metal chest with the wand and muttered. "Tell me I have no dedication. What a bunch of-I'm going to un-doom your people so hard, your HEAD will spin."

Cessyl smiled knowingly. "If you say so, Princess. Now, goodbye. I will keep my word. Most likely, you will never see me, or my people, ever again."

And with a whirl and a flash and a flurry of orange and yellow leaves, Cessyl disappeared, leaving behind nothing but the smell of an autumn forest, and a small patch of flowers where he had once stood.


	27. Chapter 27

Later that day, in the castle courtyard, Star's mother opened an interdimensional portal to earth for the Diaz's to come through. In attendance as the Warlock stepped through was Star, Marco, the King, and a representative from the peasants - the King had convince the Queen that they had to begin listening to the people more, and a high-ranking representative was a good way to begin doing that. Marco's parents showered him with affection, his father clapping him on the back, his mother embracing him and babbling about how glad she was to see him safe and sound.

As Marco reconnected with his parents, the Queen pulled Star aside for a goodbye. They hadn't spoken much since the battle. Star had been shocked when her mother had told her of how she had accidentally destroyed TickTock's world, and had avoided her for much of the time since then.

"Star, dear," said the Queen, still maintaining an air of cool superiority, "I'm letting you go with these warlocks because they saved my life. But I still want you to be careful. That wand is your responsibility-"

"I don't know if I can ever really take you seriously when you talk about responsibility ever again," muttered Star.

The Queen sighed, annoyed, and then slumped her shoulders. "Star," she said, "Why do you think I'm so insistent that you handle your responsibilities? Why do you think I've always been so strict?" When Star didn't answer, she continued. "It's because I don't want you making the same mistakes I made. That wand can hurt people-"

Star snorted. "No kidding."

"And I don't want you to have to live with that." The Queen looked at Star, hopeless, at a loss. "I don't want you to have to live with the same things I've lived with. It is hypocritical of me, in a way. But it's not just for your good. It's for the good of other people. Do you understand?"

Star was silent for a moment. "TickTock wasn't a bad person," she said, finally. "Why didn't you ever try to help him after you burned down his world's Tree of Life?"

"That was out of my hands," replied the Queen. "My mother and father knew the only way to really help would involve the destruction of the wand, and that was out of the question."

"So you just...left them there? Abandoned them?" Star crossed her arms. Inside, she was screaming. She had never defied her mother like this. But these were things she needed to say.

"It wasn't my decision at the time -"

"Maybe not. But it was your decision to forget them. To ignore them once you had become Queen."

"Star-"

"Don't worry, mom." Star turned her head away. She didn't even want to look at her mother right now. She had never felt more distant from her. "No matter what happens, I won't ever be like you."

If the Queen was hurt, she concealed it well. She drew herself in, formal, stiff. "Fair enough," she said, coolly.

Star walked away. She gave her father a much warmer goodbye, laughing along with him as he clapped Mr. Diaz on the back. "Now THAT was a good romp," the King was roaring. "Flaming undead, that's a new one. Smashing good time."

"You should see what I can summon when I really have time to prepare," Mr. Diaz answered.

"We'll have to try it one day! Give me some time to work on my wife. We could use a court warlock, I think. She'll warm up to the idea one day."

"Uh," said the peasant representative, a short, thin, severe-looking man, bald, with a sharp nose and gaunt features. "I don't think the peasants would like the guy who burnt half of them to death getting an official court position."

"Oh come on now, Robert, my daughter's going with them, it was all a misunderstanding-" the King began.

Robert turned red. "THAT MISUNDERSTANDING SAW HALF OF MY FRIENDS IN THE GRAVE," he roared.

Mr. Diaz raised his wand. "I could always bring them back. I mean, they'd be skeletons, but-"

The peasant representative shook with rage and sputtered incoherently. The King raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Give me some time to work on him too," he said in a whisper to Mr. Diaz.

Star surveyed the Castle one last time as Marco walked over to her. "So, Star, ready to go?"

She was about to answer, when something caught her attention. "One last thing," she replied. She approached the courtyard wall. There, in one sad corner, was the rose garden that TickTock had always tended, the one that she had dug and played in as a child, laughing and screaming as her adopted Uncle would throw dirt clods at her, or pick flowers for her.

With a wave of her wand and a flash of light, Star worked her magic on the rose garden. The plants stretched, branched, grew, until they covered an entire wall of the castle, and the roses bloomed in every color of the rainbow. "Goodbye, Uncle TickTock," she whispered.

Then she rejoined the Diaz's and stepped through the portal to earth. 

* * *

Marco and Star restarted their normal lives back on Earth. Together, they planted the seed from the Tree of Life in Marco's backyard. Star diligently applied the spells Cessyl had given her to it, a ritual that she had to repeat every week. "I guess this does mean that we're going to have to send the royal children to earth once a week for the next five hundred years," she said, brushing dirt from her hands, after they had finished burying it.

"And I guess it does mean that my house, and eventually my entire neighborhood, is going to be crushed by a giant tree growing in our midst. Oh and also, magical fae creatures are going to colonize my planet."

Star gnawed on her wand and gave Marco a worried look. Marco kicked at the dirt.

"Ah who cares, it won't happen for another five hundred years," he said finally.

They rejoined school. Their absence, and Marco's scars, were explained to be the result of a car accident. "A car accident where Marco had to fight off A BIKER GANG," Star shouted, to a crowd of interested students, after they seemed to stop caring all that much about his scars.

Ferguson's absence wasn't explained at all, and barely anyone seemed to notice he was missing. He faded from people's memories conspicuously quickly. Marco wasn't sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he thought maybe they should try to find his lost friend. On the other, he was scared as hell of Ferguson, and thought that there was a good chance he enjoyed being the nightmare creature more than he enjoyed being human.

Things were different between him and Star. They didn't immediately fall into a pattern of sleeping with each other - both considered that time in the castle to be an exception, a time of them being overjoyed with seeing each other again. But they were closer than ever. There were times when Star's hand would worm its way into his, just to be held. Some nights, before he went to sleep, she would grab his face and pull him in for a kiss. She spent more time than ever in his company, and Marco found it harder and harder to imagine his life without her. 

* * *

It was one of those rare times when she wasn't with him, when, walking down the hallway in school, he was roughly pulled into a janitor's closet.

"Janna?!" he shouted, when he saw who his assailant was. He hadn't seen her at all since returning from Mewni. He had tried to talk to her, but it was as if she was avoiding him. Or Star.

"Finally got you when you were away from your Princess," Janna breathed. She locked the door behind her. "Nobody will bother us in here."

"What?" Marco asked, and then backed up, slamming into a shelf of cleaning projects, as Janna took off her shirt. "Janna, wait."

"Oh, you love it," she purred, beginning to unzip his hoodie. "I know you do." He tried to catch her hands, and Janna just pulled him in to kiss him.

"Stop," he said, once she broke off the kiss. He tried to ignore her naked flesh pressing into him, ignore her heavy breathing, ignore the hungry look in her eyes. Janna ignored him and just kissed him again, reaching for his belt. "STOP," he shouted.

Janna stopped. Marco tried to ignore the pain in her eyes. "You liked it before," she whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Janna, I...I don't know. I want to thank you for your help and everything. But...all the stuff that happened between us...I don't know if I should have let you do that-"

Janna shoved him, slamming him back into the shelf of cleaning chemicals. "It wasn't just me 'doing' it to you," she sniffled, shaking again. "You were there too. It's something we did together."

"Okay," said Marco. "I just...I don't know if I should have done it. Okay? And I think that now it needs to stop."

Janna pulled her shirt back on and withdrew to one corner of the closet, drawing her knees to her chest, burying her face in them. Marco hugged her tight. "You'll always be a friend," he said. "I would have never been able to get my parents or Star back without you. I can never thank you enough for that. Will you be okay?"

Janna looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and nodded. "You deserve better," she murmured. Marco wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he took it as a positive sign, and, reluctantly, left her in the closet to go to class.

After Marco left, Janna broke down in tears again. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for Star to just come along and pluck him away from her. She had had her eyes on Marco for years, she was just never able to express it beyond mildly aggressive flirting. It wasn't fair that just as she began to make progress with him that Star would come along and take him away. And it wasn't fair because he deserved someone BETTER than Star. All she did was get him hurt.

Janna remembered the glimpses of Marco she had gotten when he and Star had come hurtling back out of the portal in Mewni, back into the battlefield. The blood all over him. Janna had felt her heart freeze, and felt, with a dark, black certainty, that if Star had gotten Marco killed, that she would wring the life out the Princess herself. She had wanted to stay in Mewni, stay until she was sure that Marco was okay, but Mr. and Mrs. Diaz had insisted that she come back to earth, insisted that her parents must be worried about her. They had been, but not that much. It wouldn't have been the first time Janna disappeared from her family for days at a time.

And when Marco had come back to earth, she had seen it written all over his face. The stupid idiot was in love with Star. He barely ever left her side. He was in love with a girl that was just going to hurt him, over and over and over again. She couldn't watch it. He was going to kill himself for Star one day, she just knew it, with a terrible certainty. And when that happened, would Star even care?

Marco needed a real friend. He needed someone who would look out for him, when he himself could not. And Janna thought she might have a way to help him.

She reached into her jacket, pulling out her most treasured item. Everyone had just assumed it had been lost in the chaos of battle.

Mr. Diaz's spellbook. 

* * *

Mrs. Diaz looked out the front window, smiling, as she watched Marco and Star in the front yard. They were sitting on the porch swing, watching the sunset together. As she watched, Star rested her head on Marco's shoulder.

Mr. Diaz came up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "My heart," he murmured into her ear. "Would you look at them."

Mrs. Diaz smiled and closed her eyes, leaning back into her husband. "They really seem to be closer than ever."

Mr. Diaz smiled darkly. "Yes...just according to plan."

He chuckled, evilly, until Mrs. Diaz shut him up with a kiss. 

* * *

Author's note:

Yes I left some things open-ended, because at some point I will come back and write a sequel. Thanks for all the people who read this, I always like to hear about people who enjoy my stories. A special thanks to the people who have done fanart of my dumb fanfic, it's way more than I ever expected would happen ever expected would happen


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